Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has lashed out at the Union government for denying Central aid for the victims of the Wayanad landslides. “It’s not just a neglect for Wayanad; it’s a neglect for Kerala,” he said here on Friday.
Mr. Satheesan said it was shocking that no Central aid was given to the victims of Wayanad even after visits by the Prime Minister and a Central study team. “The BJP government is behaving as though Kerala is not there on the Indian map. The United Democratic Front (UDF) members will raise a strong protest against it in Parliament,” he said.
“Nobody has asked for aid from the BJP. What the State asked was for special financial assistance from the Centre. What Wayanad requires now is not the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The Union government has revealed its true colours by denying aid for Wayanad,” he said, adding that the BJP government did not say a word about it until polling in Wayanad was over.
The Leader of the Opposition challenged the Centre to say if the State had not given the estimates for the Wayanad disaster. “BJP State president K. Surendran does not have to say that the State had not given the estimates. The State has sought the Central aid, and not the BJP’s aid.”
Illegal votes
Mr. Satheesan lashed out at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the BJP for illegally enrolling votes ahead of the byelection. He said it was the municipality ruled by the BJP that gave false residence certificate to Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate P. Sarin to enrol his vote in Palakkad.
“The rule says that one should be a resident of a place for at least six months to enrol his/her vote. Dr. Sarin has not been living in Palakkad for the past six months. He shifted to Palakkad recently. Then how did he get a residence certificate of more than six months stay?” Mr. Satheesan asked.
He said that CPI(M) district secretary E.N. Suresh Babu and Minister for Local Self-Government M.B. Rajesh were under duress within their party. He said Mr. Suresh Babu had failed as a district head of the party, and that was why he was protesting when he found that the UDF had worked systematically by enrolling 5,500 votes.
“Electoral officers are responsible for enrolment of fake voters. They should be taken to task if anyone is found to be a fake voter,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said that the CPI(M) had made party central committee member and senior leader E.P. Jayarajan a scapegoat. The party insulted Mr. Jayarajan by making him read out a scripted speech in favour of Dr. Sarin in Palakkad on Thursday evening, he said. “Was it a felicitation meeting, or a condolence meeting in Palakkad? Even the candidate would have laughed. It’s a joke that Kerala’s political annals should limn.”
Mr. Satheesan said that the UDF would examine the reasons for the slump in voting in Wayanad.
Munambam issue
It was the State government and the Waqf Board that took antagonistic stand towards the people of Munambam, he said. The Leader of the Opposition accused the CPI(M) of playing a dirty game by planting news that could instigate communities in the Waqf issue on the eve of the elections.
Published - November 15, 2024 07:38 pm IST
