Kumar accused the BJP of indulging in politics and using the disaster as a tool to “financially choke” the state that he said has consistently rejected the saffron outfit’s agenda.
Construction of houses in Wayanad for landslide victims. (Image shared by P Sandosh Kumar in the letter)
Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Saturday criticized the BJP-led central government for allegedly denying Union assistance to Kerala following the 2024 Wayanad landslides.
In a letter written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Kumar stated that the devastating landslides that struck Wayanad district on July 30, 2024, claimed more than 400 lives and left thousands of families displaced, while also causing “enormous destruction to homes, livelihoods, and public infrastructure, running into several hundred crores of rupees.”
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“It was one of the gravest tragedies Kerala has witnessed in recent times and demanded immediate, unconditional, and adequate support from the Union Government and the National Disaster Management Authority,” he said.
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However, the CPI MP claimed that despite repeated requests from the Kerala government and his own interventions in Parliament, the central government refused to provide any special package to the disaster-hit state, displaying what he called “a shocking insensitivity to human suffering.”
He said that the CPI-led LDF government in Kerala ensured “comprehensive rehabilitation” of all affected families despite not getting adequate support from the Union Government.
He said that permanent model houses and rehabilitation colonies with all basic amenities, community facilities, and livelihood support are near completion and will be handed over within one and a half years. I” visited these rehabilitated settlements yesterday along with LDF leaders, and photographs of the same are being attached for your reference.”
Kumar accused the BJP of indulging in politics and using the disaster as a tool to “financially choke” the state that he said has consistently rejected the saffron outfit’s agenda.
“That the Union Government chose to extend assistance only in the form of a loan even during such a humanitarian crisis exposes the limits of the BJP’s politics, which did not hesitate to use a disaster and widespread misery as a tool to financially choke a state and its people solely because Kerala has consistently rejected the BJP’s agenda,” he said.
The CPI MP said that the federal system cannot function if disaster relief is determined by political considerations rather than constitutional duty.
“The Union Government is obligated to treat all states and all citizens equally in times of crisis,” he added, urging the home minister and the NDA Government to “reflect seriously on this partisan neglect and to uphold fairness, federal responsibility, and basic humanity in the discharge of your constitutional duties.”
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