LDF, UDF hold hartal in landslide-hit Wayanad over lack of central aid

Wayanad (Kerala), Nov 19 (PTI) The ruling LDF and opposition UDF held a dawn-to-dusk hartal in landslide-hit Wayanad on Tuesday as a mark of protest against the lack of central assistance for the landslide victims in the mountain district even months after the disaster.

Both the ruling and the opposition parties wanted the BJP-led union government to declare the landslide calamity as a national disaster and provide required assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of the survivors at the earliest.

However, the BJP termed the hartal as "drama" and alleged that it was being staged with an intent to stop the BJP's good show in the November 20 by-poll in Palakkad.

The saffron party also accused the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF of using the Wayanad landslide tragedy for "political gains".

In many places, those supporting the hartal blocked vehicles, causing traffic snarls since morning.

The state-run KSRTC buses could be seen operating in several areas with police escorts.

Though comparatively less in number, private vehicles were plying without any hurdles.

In Lakdi, a group of UDF workers had an altercation with the police in connection with the blocking of vehicles.

Both LDF and UDF carried out protest marches separately in major centres of the district.

While the LDF alleged that the denying of central assistance to Wayanad was due to political reasons and the union government harboured grudges towards the state, the UDF criticised the Left government in the state for the continuing plight of the landslide survivors.

However, senior BJP leader and former union minister V Muraleedharan charged that the "INDI Alliance" was unleashing a false campaign against the union government over "additional" central assistance to Wayanad.

The Centre has never said that it won't provide "additional" financial assistance but the landslide tragedy is being used for "political gains" (in the state), he said.

He accused the Left government in the state of not adhering to the rules and norms in this regard.

The BJP leader charged that the state government was not even ready to hold discussions with voluntary organisations who have offered to construct houses for the victims of the landslides. Not a piece of land was handed over to them by the state government in the last four months to build houses for the survivors, he added.

He said the central government had stated that a high-level committee would hold a meeting to decide on declaring the landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala as a severe disaster, with further actions to follow accordingly.

He also urged the people of the state to realise the CPI(M)-Congress "conspiracy" to use the disaster-hit persons for their political gains.

However, Muraleedharan's remarks about the gravity of the disaster triggered a row with CPI (M) and the Congress coming out strongly condemning it.

While answering a question, the BJP leader asked the reporters to refrain from saying that the entire land (Wayanad) had been washed away in the landslide as only three wards in a panchayat were affected by the disaster.

Raising strong objections to the statement, CPI (M) leader and former MLA C K Saseendran alleged that Muraleedharan mocked not only the survivors and victims of the landslide but also the entire people of the state.

He also sought to know from the BJP leader why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did visit Wayanad if it was a minor incident.

Sharing similar views, Congress leader and MLA T Siddique expressed strong protest against V Muraleedharan's statement.

"His remarks amounted to insulting the victims and the survivors of the tragedy. With this, the true colours of the BJP have come out," he said.

Local people protested against Muraleedharan's statement in some parts of the district.

The state, last week, witnessed an intense political row following the Centre's recent letter to the state government stating that under the existing guidelines of SDRF and NDRF, there is no provision to declare any calamity a 'national disaster".

The disaster, which struck on July 30, devastated large parts of three villages --Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai--along with sections of Attamala in Wayanad.

As per the government, the deadly disaster claimed 231 lives, while 47 people are still missing. PTI