Union Minister Nityanand Rai slams Congress over Kerala flood relief accusations

New Delhi [India], November 8 : Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Friday hit out at the Congress party over its recent accusations regarding the Central government's response to the devastating floods and landslides that struck Kerala in the first week of August.
Rai dismissed the claims made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X, which questioned the central government's response to the devastating floods and landslides that struck Kerala at the beginning of August this year.
MoS Home made the remarks through a series of posts on X and highlighted that the Congress's "tendency is to make baseless statements and that making absurd statements is a tradition of the party."
Rai's response came a day after Congress President Kharge posted on X regarding devastating floods and landslides in Kerala, accusing that Kerala submitted a detailed compensation package of Rs 2,000 crore for disaster relief while only a meagre sum of Rs 291 crores was sanctioned.
"Making absurd statements is a tradition of the Congress party. The entire country knows how, from 1947 till now, the Congress party's divisive and appeasement policies have played with the unity and integrity of the nation. A family that has only practiced dynastic politics can never work for the welfare of the country and its people. Modi Ji has established the principles of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" and "Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat" (Inclusive development and a united, strong India). During the crisis in Wayanad, Home Minister was continuously monitoring the situation," the MoS said in a series of posts on X.
In light of the landslide and sudden flooding in Wayanad district of Kerala, Rai further said PM Modi conducted an aerial survey of the landslide-affected areas in Wayanad along with the Chief Minister and Governor of Kerala.
"Following the instructions of the Prime Minister, the DG of NDRF also visited the affected area from August 7 to August 10," said the MoS.
He added, "The Modi government, without any discrimination, has released Rs 5,858.60 crore on October 1, 2024 for flood-affected states, including opposition-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Sikkim, Telangana, and West Bengal...In addition, without waiting for a formal memorandum from the state government, an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) was formed, which visited the affected areas from 8th to 10th August 2024 to assess the damage on the ground."
Meanwhile, Kharge's post mentioned, "When Kerala was hit by devastating floods and landslides, both Shri @RahulGandhi and Smt. @priyankagandhi stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Wayanad. Myself and Rahul Ji, both also urged the Union Government to take appropriate relief and rehabilitation measures in both houses of the Parliament. Prime Minister Modi visited Wayanad within days of the disaster, promising all help to the people here. However, Modi Ji's promise turned out to be hollow words."
"While Kerala submitted a detailed compensation package of Rs 2,000 crore for disaster relief, only a meagre sum of Rs 291 crores was sanctioned. Meanwhile, BJP-ruled states received the lion's share of central aid. Is this how a responsible government treats its people in times of crisis? The Indian National Congress never discriminated any state in any matter. We are committed to the values of inclusivity, fairness, and justice," the post added.
"Kerala has always stood by the constitution ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity amongst its people. People of Kerala have believed in an idea of a secular India. However, Modi government's actions are tearing at the fabric of our unity. Instead of fostering harmony, they have resorted to spreading division, anger, and fear. They seek to divide us on the basis of caste and religion, but I trust the people of Wayanad and surely, they cannot divide them," the X post read.