Priyanka Gandhi accuses centre of waiving loans of big businesses, not landslide victims

Thiruvananthapuram/Wayanad: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the central government on Wednesday for not forgiving loans for Wayanad landslides victims, claiming that it had no qualms about paying off debts of large corporations.

In a statement issued by the party, Priyanka reacted to the central government's position in the Kerala High Court that it cannot forgive the loans of the Wayanad landslides victims.

The Congress MP from Wayanad said she completely agrees with the High Court's observation that the Centre has failed the victims in their time of need.

In a stinging observation, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday said that the Union government has "virtually failed" the victims of the 2024 landslides in Wayanad by not exercising its powers to waive the loans availed by them, PTI reported.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan, also expressed his disagreement with the Centre's stand, terming it a "wrong move".

He said that the landslide victims have all kinds of loans, but no source of income or assets.

"It is in such circumstances that the loans have to be waived," he said.

He said that the Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution last year for waiving the loans of the landslide victims, and now, the central government has to take a decision in this regard.

However, the Centre has taken a different stand in the case of Kerala as compared to Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and various other north Indian states, he claimed.

"It is a wrong stand by the Centre," he contended.

"We are requesting the Centre to help the victims of the Wayanad landslides, despite the observations of the High Court," he added.

A major landslide struck the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions on July 30 last year, almost completely decimating both areas.

The disaster claimed over 200 lives and left hundreds injured.