The betrayal of the highest order
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The central government has completely abandoned the disaster-stricken people of Mundakayam and Churalmala in Wayanad, where a devastating landslide claimed countless lives and livelihoods. With no qualms, the Modi government has made its stance clear, dashing the last hopes of thousands left with nothing but their lives. The Central government has not only rejected the state government's request for assistance in rehabilitating the victims but also refused to declare the disaster a national calamity. In the reply to a letter sent by the state government representative, K.V. Thomas, to the Prime Minister, Union Minister of State, Nityananda Rai, the central government's callous attitude has been confirmed. As many had suspected, the Wayanad disaster victims have been betrayed. The Modi government's continued economic blockade against opposition-ruled states, in defiance of the country's federal structure, further complicates the matter. Without central assistance, all rehabilitation projects in Wayanad, including the proposed township, are now in limbo. Narendra Modi, who visited Wayanad on August 10th, had assured that the lack of funds would not be a hindrance tothe rehabilitation process. This assurance has now been broken. This can only be described as a "betrayal of the highest order.”
The demand for declaring the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide disaster as an 'extremely severe natural disaster' and a 'national disaster' was a united demand in Kerala. The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, had demanded this; the state government had also reiterated this stance several times. Another demand was related to the central government's financial assistance. A detailed memorandum was also submitted by the state government for this. In addition, demands were placed before the Centre also to start centres of the Geological Survey of India and the National Seismological Centre in Kerala, and to establish state-of-the-art weather monitoring systems. The first two demands have now been rejected, citing technical reasons. It is said that there is no provision in the 2005 Disaster Management Act to declare a natural disaster as a 'national disaster'. Moreover, the Centre argues that according to the said Act, the primary responsibility for disaster management lies with the states. The Centre's another justification is that the amount required for relief activities should be used from the Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and that there is already Rs 394.99 crore in it. One has to see how cleverly the Modi government is shifting the blame to the state! Demanding that a natural disaster be declared a national disaster is not actually based on technicalities; rather, it is to make the severity of the disaster known to the country and the government. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the disaster-affected area and the survivors there deserve more help and attention. By taking a negative approach in this matter, the Centre has now declared that it is not even ready to provide the deserved financial assistance. The Centre's statement that if the state has anything left in its own pocket, it should spend it amounts to arrogance. According to the Disaster Management Act, the amount that the Centre should provide every year is only in the SDRF. This is also inadequate in the current situation. The Centre is well aware of this. That is why, when the allied parties were in power, crores of rupees were allocated in the budget for disaster management in the states. Therefore, this discrimination against Kerala should be considered as part of the ongoing economic blockade.
No one with a basic understanding of the central government's fascist attitude of financially strangling opposition-ruled states would be surprised by the injustice in Wayanad. The central minister's letter is merely a continuation of such a regressive approach. Even during the disaster, there were hints of this move by the Centre. Many had questioned why the Prime Minister did not visit the site and announce emergency aid in the initial days of the disaster that occurred on July 30. Both the BJP and the Sangh Parivar had propagated at that time that the central government's aid announcement would be made only after a visit to the disaster area. When Modi visited Wayanad on the eleventh day, everyone expected the same. But it didn't happen; instead, a condition was put forward that a detailed memorandum should be submitted if assistance was to be received. That was also fulfilled within two weeks. According to the reply given by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Legislative Assembly, a loss of 1202 crores has been incurred in Wayanay in the initial assessment itself. The state government is now requesting nearly 1500 crores. rupees The estimated cost of rehabilitation is around 2262 crores. In other words, the Centre is ruthlessly rejecting the minimum requirement raised by Kerala, even with projects including townships lying ahead. The strange argument that Kerala should find Rs 1800 crores on its own by relying only on the SDRF is in fact a bizarre display of fascism. This move, which has completely disregarded all democratic norms, must be resisted. In this matter, all democrats, regardless of being in the ruling or opposition, must join hands for Wayanad.
