New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday accused the BJP government of playing politics by not declaring the destruction caused by landslides in Wayanad a national disaster and thus denying aid to people who have suffered there. Vadra is contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency as a Congress candidate. She is contesting in the bye-election held on November 13 after her brother Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat after winning it.
"Despite the landslides that devastated Wayanad, the BJP government refuses to declare it a national disaster, denying essential relief to those in dire need. This isn’t just negligence; it’s a shocking injustice to those who have suffered unimaginable loss. The people of Wayanad deserve better," the Congress leader said in a post on X.
She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Wayanad at the time of the tragedy and he witnessed its effects firsthand, "yet his government is playing politics and withholding crucial aid". She alleged that the same was done with the people of Himachal Pradesh at a time of great distress for them.
"In the past, tragedies of this magnitude were not politicized in this manner," Vadra claimed. "The singling out and lack of support to victims of these tragedies due to political reasons is unprecedented and totally unacceptable," she said. The Centre has informed the Kerala government that landslides and flash floods that happened in Wayanad in July this year cannot be declared as a "national disaster".
More than 200 people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed in the natural calamity and the state has been demanding that it be declared as a "national disaster" and also provide assistance for rehabilitation. "Under the existing guidelines of SDRF/ NDRF, there is no provision to declare any calamity as 'National Disaster'," Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in a letter dated November 10.
The SDRF and NDRF refer to State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response Fund, respectively. In August, the state government wrote to Prime Minister Modi requesting to declare the landslides and flash floods in Wayanad as a national disaster.
