Rajya Sabha MP and senior CPI leader from Kerala P. Sandosh Kumar has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that the Centre failed to provide adequate assistance to Kerala in the aftermath of the devastating landslides that struck Wayanad district on July 30, 2024.
Kumar wrote that the disaster, which affected areas including Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Meppadi panchayat, claimed over 400 lives, injured hundreds, and displaced thousands of families while causing extensive damage to homes, livelihoods and public infrastructure.
He noted that despite repeated requests from the Kerala government, interventions in Parliament, and appeals from Members of Parliament from the state, the Union government did not announce any special package or grant assistance. The CPI leader described the response as inadequate for a tragedy of such magnitude.
Stating that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala undertook rehabilitation efforts despite financial strain, he wrote that permanent housing and planned rehabilitation colonies with basic amenities and livelihood support are nearing completion within a timeframe of about one and a half years.
The CPI leader also criticised the Centre for extending what he described as assistance in the form of a loan during a humanitarian crisis, and argued that disaster relief should not be influenced by political considerations.
Kumar wrote: “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.”
Calling for adherence to federal principles, the MP urged the Centre to ensure fairness and equal treatment of states during emergencies and to uphold its constitutional responsibilities.
