The Centre's blatant betrayal
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A terrifying disaster, one of the most tragic Kerala has witnessed in recent times, occurred in Wayanad at Mundakkai Chooralmala, where a landslide claimed over 400 lives. The area was completely wiped out, and the exact number of lives lost has yet to be fully confirmed. The destruction of property was also huge. Upon hearing of the disaster, rescue workers, humanitarian aid groups, and government officials from various parts of the region quickly arrived, and their coordinated efforts helped save lives. Their dedicated actions not only saved many lives but also provided some comfort to those affected by the disaster. Now, the entire focus and time should be on rehabilitation. In this regard, the actions of government organizations have not even been half of those taken by non-governmental organizations. Not only that, but this is also something that the state government alone is unable to handle. In a federal system, the central government also has the responsibility to provide the necessary assistance to the state. However, the central government, ignoring continuous requests for help, shocked everyone with its heartless attitude by demanding reimbursement for the rescue of disaster victims. Demanding wages to use helicopters to rescue the people of the country from the disaster! The military is a crucial part of the systems entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring and protecting the lives and property of the people. The soldiers carried out their rescue mission with incomparable bravery and humanity. By demanding wages, the central government is not only insulting the people wounded in the disaster but also disrespecting the dedication of the army that came as rescuers. The central government is well aware that through such actions, it is continuously shattering the self-respect of the people; the Modi government is once again strengthening the suspicion that it is punishing Kerala for responding democratically against communal fascism.
The central government continued to impose restrictive measures from the very beginning regarding financial assistance for the landslide disaster. The Prime Minister, upon visiting the disaster site, said that Kerala is not alone and will not face any shortage of financial assistance for rehabilitation. There was no result, other than the photo op with the injured girl who was treated in the hospital following the disaster. Kerala requested the Prime Minister to declare the landslide a national disaster. Additionally, Kerala sought special central assistance for Wayanad. However, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityananda Rai, made it clear that no special assistance was provided for Wayanad, and the arrangements to declare the landslide a national disaster were not in place either.
A disaster as devastating as the one in Wayanad, where so many lives and properties were lost, had never occurred in India in recent times. Since then, Kerala has been reaching out to the central government for help. The reply was the usual excuses, asking about various other available funds. Finally, all the Members of Parliament from the state met the Union Home Minister and presented their concerns. The response from him was that whether the help has been given or not is under review. While passing the days with this expectation, efforts were doubled, with demands for payment for the rescue operations.
It is not the first time that the central government is asking for payment for assistance to the state. During the flood, 33.79 crore rupees was demanded for helicopter rental, and 25 crore was demanded for the use of Air Force aircraft. For the rescue operations in the Wayanad disaster, Rs 13.65 crore was demanded to be reimbursed by the Ministry of Home Affairs from the state. The state has also had the experience of being asked for cash to repay the rice distributed to the flood victims. The money was eventually collected under the threat that if the payment for the rice was not made, the food subsidy would be stopped, or the funds would be reduced from the Central government's SDRF allocation.
The central government did provide assistance to all the states affected by natural disasters, after the Wayanad landslide. It is when Kerala's issue arises that decisions and actions are delayed. It was also observed that the Central Minister from Kerala mocked the Tamil Nadu Parliament member who had been vocal about Kerala's needs. The central government's stance was made clear. It should be emphasized that this is wrong, and the state must stand united to reclaim what it truly deserves. Just as we have pursued various matters through legal means, this issue should also be pursued through legal processes. Regardless of the method, such negligence will only result in additional financial hardship for the government, which is already finding it difficult to give even the salaries for its employees and the rightful justice for Wayanad might be denied. After all the constraints, the thought of this as a public issue of Kerala is something everyone should be concerned about.
