PALAKKAD: Amid the row triggered by the Centre’s letter that said there was no provision to declare the Wayanad landslides a ‘national disaster’, IUML general secretary P K Kunhalikutty on Friday said Kerala was missing from the BJP’s map, and hence, BJP too should also have no place in Kerala’s map.
Accusing the BJP of adopting a hostile attitude towards Kerala, Kunhalikutty said despite people’s resilience in overcoming the disaster, the Union government provided no assistance and betrayed the public.
“The Centre betrayed the people of Wayanad, instead of standing with them. The people of Kerala, including those in Palakkad (where a bypoll will be held on November 20), will not forget it,” Kunhalikutty said. He said the public was fed up with the anti-people policies of the Union as well as the state governments, and the people of Palakkad were preparing to teach a strong lesson to both. He also said UDF’s Palakkad candidate Rahul Mamkootathil was receiving overwhelming support.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said the neglect shown by the Centre towards the disaster-affected people of Wayanad reflected its disregard for Kerala.
“Despite the Prime Minister’s visit and the central team’s assessment, the decision to not allocate even a single rupee to Kerala is shocking. UDF MPs from Kerala will strongly protest against this injustice in the Parliament,” Satheesan said, adding that the UDF will escalate the issue at the state and national levels.