A slugfest over the warning of a possible landslide and heavy rain in Wayanad, which Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed was given to the Kerala state government in Parliament, led CPI-M MP V Sivadasan to file a privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha for allegedly misleading Parliament.
The catastrophic landslides in Wayanad, Kerala, which have claimed at least 256 lives and left nearly 220 missing, have also given rise to a political controversy regarding the response to the disaster.
The landslides, triggered by intense rainfall, struck the district's Meppadi area on Tuesday, causing widespread devastation. Reports from Kerala's Health Minister Veena George indicate that the heavy rains resulted in the disaster, with rainfall significantly surpassing initial predictions.
Shah, during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, contended that the Kerala government ignored multiple warnings issued by the India Meteorological Department and failed to adequately respond to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams dispatched to the area.
Shah's claims have been strongly refuted by Kerala officials. The Kerala government has disputed the home minister’s statements, asserting that the warnings were not of the severity implied. The state’s Communist Party of India (Marxist) MPs have demanded that Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar compel Shah to clarify his remarks, arguing that the accusations are both incorrect and unfairly critical of the state’s efforts during the crisis.
According to the MPs, the area where the landslides occurred had never previously been placed under a red alert, which indicates extremely heavy rainfall. Instead, the state had been under an orange alert, which predicts heavy rain but not to the extent that the area experienced. The actual rainfall far exceeded the initial forecasts, leading to the red alert being issued only after the disaster had already struck.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized Shah’s comments, emphasizing that this is not the time for assigning blame but rather for focusing on relief efforts. Veena George has also denounced Shah’s statements as misleading, maintaining that the district administration acted according to the available alerts.
In response to the disaster, extensive rescue operations led by the Army have been underway for several days, with approximately 1,000 people rescued so far. Over 8,000 individuals are currently taking shelter in relief camps set up across the district. Chief Minister Vijayan arrived in Wayanad on Thursday and is expected to convene an all-party meeting to address the situation.
Political figures, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are visiting the relief camps and offer support. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has appealed to Shah to declare the landslides as a "calamity of severe nature" under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and coordinated response to the disaster.