Wayanad: In protest against the central government’s neglect of the people affected by the disaster in Wayanad, both the UDF and LDF have declared a hartal (strike) in the district. The strike will be from 6 AM to 6 PM on Nov.19. T. Siddique, MLA, said that it is unacceptable to just sit back and wait for resettlement to happen and that the central government’s approach has been negative. The central government had recently clarified that the Wayanad landslide disaster cannot be declared a national disaster. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, stated that the Wayanad landslide cannot be declared a national disaster under the guidelines of the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) and NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund). The central government’s position was made clear in a response to a letter from Kerala representative in Delhi K.V. Thomas.
The central government clarified that the primary responsibility for the disaster lies with the state government, and pointed out that Kerala has its own State Disaster Response Fund, which can be used for such situations.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan from Palakkad made it clear that the opposition will strongly oppose the central government’s neglect of the disaster victims in Wayanad. He added that UDF MPs will protest in Parliament and that Kerala needs special financial assistance similar to what has been given to other states.
V.D. Satheesan also commented that Kerala had not asked the BJP for money, but the state was seeking financial assistance from the central government, and emphasized that there would be no joint struggle with the LDF against the central neglect. He stated that it is impossible to predict when the LDF and BJP will join forces, so the decision was made to protest independently. The opposition leader also criticized the BJP government for adopting a stance that seems to suggest Kerala is not part of the country’s map.
CPM State Secretary M.V. Govindan responded, stating that despite the Prime Minister’s visit three months ago, the central government has not yet provided financial assistance. He pointed out that the central government has given financial aid to states that did not face any disasters. Govindan further called for a strong public protest against the central government’s stance, which he said goes against the public interest of the state.
