Chief Minister slams Centre over delayed aid for Wayanad landslide victims

Other States that experienced calamities after the Wayanad tragedy had already received assistance from the Centre, he says 78th anniversary meet of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising

The people affected by the Wayanad landslides will be rehabilitated with or without Central assistance, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

He was inaugurating the valedictory function of the week-long observance of the 78th anniversary of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising at Vayalar in Alappuzha on Sunday.

“The Wayanad tragedy was one of the biggest disasters the country has witnessed. Following the landslides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Wayanad and promised a special package. Later, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had promised aid. Though a team visited the affected areas and submitted a report to the Union government, the State has not yet received its due share from the Centre. We have taken up the matter with the Centre multiple times, but there has been no response. We will rehabilitate all the affected people, with or without Central aid,” Mr. Vijayan said.

He noted that other States that experienced calamities after the Wayanad tragedy had already received assistance from the Centre.

Dig at Congress

Criticising the Congress for its soft stance against communal forces and its “tacit understanding” with several of them, Mr. Vijayan reiterated that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government would continue to act tough against communalism.

He said the Congress had often sided with communal forces for short-term gains. The Chief Minister said that Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran had admitted to sending Congress workers to protect Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) offices. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan had attended RSS ideologue M.S. Golwalkar’s remembrance meeting, Mr. Vijayan said

The Chief Minister said that in the 2016 Assembly polls, the BJP candidate won the Nemom seat after receiving Congress votes. “When it comes to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won the Thrissur seat. Congress’s vote count there decreased by 87,000 compared to previous elections, while the LDF candidate’s vote count increased by 16,000 compared to 2019, though we lost. It is obvious how the BJP secured victory in Thrissur. The communist parties will not ally with communal forces for political gains,” he said, adding that both Jamaat-e-Islami and Social Democratic Party of India are supporting the Congress-led United Democratic Front.

Lashing out at the BJP government at the Centre for its stance in the ongoing West Asia conflict, the Chief Minister said it was supporting Israel, not Palestine, to appease US imperialism. Mr. Vijayan said the RSS and other Sangh Parivar organisations had no role in the freedom movement. “The Union government is trying to rewrite history to fit its agenda, starting with school textbooks. It does not recognise the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising as part of the Independence movement,” he said.

Former Minister and CPI(M) leader T.M. Thomas Isaac, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad and others attended the function.

Published - October 27, 2024 08:38 pm IST