Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar found himself at the centre of widespread social media trolls on Thursday after he claimed that several people lost their lives due to “floods” in Kerala.
“Saddened to hear about the tragic loss of lives due to flood in Kerala. My condolences to the bereaved families. Hoping for a speedy recovery of those injured,” Chandrasekhar said in a Facebook post.
The minister, who is the NDA candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, later deleted the post after it drew criticism from various quarters.
State minister V. Shivankutty mocked that Chandrasekhar might have just watched the film ‘2018’ which is based on the massive flood in the state in 2018.
“He can save himself from losing his senses completely if he comes to the state frequently, other than during elections,” Sivankutty said in a post.
Several social media users pointed out that even though Kerala reels under heavy pre-monsoon rains, no flood-like situation has been reported from anywhere.
Rains continued to lash several parts of the state on Thursday, leading to waterlogging in the low-lying areas of major cities, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Thrissur. The IMD has issued a red alert in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts
At least four persons have lost their lives in rain-related incidents so far.
