The Congress on Saturday demanded that the floods in Kerala be declared a national disaster, even as it accused the Narendra Modi government of discriminating between BJP and non-BJP-ruled states on the issue of offering aid.
“Rahul Gandhiji and the Congress party demand that the floods in Kerala be declared a national calamity, and the Government of India should provide help to the state on a priority basis,” said Randeep Surjewala, in-charge of AICC communications department.
Earlier on Saturday, Gandhi tweeted: “Dear PM, Please declare #Kerala floods a National Disaster without any delay. The lives, livelihood and future of millions of our people is at stake.”
The demand by the Congress for the floods to be declared a national calamity was made on a day Modi toured Kerala to take stock of the situation and announced an aid package of Rs 500 crore.
“Rahul Gandhiji also made the plea that there should not be any politics done on the issue of flood relief. Modiji should stop discriminating in matters of flood relief between BJP and non-BJP governments... It is time Prime Minister Modi must rise above political partisan game and come forward as a nation to help people of Kerala, people of Karnataka and other states affected by the flood and declare Kerala floods a national calamity,” said Surjewala.
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The devastation caused by floods in different states, particularly Kerala, was discussed in a meeting Gandhi held on Saturday with AICC general secretaries, secretaries, in-charges, PCC chiefs and CLP leaders. It was decided that all Congress MPs, both from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, as well as MLAs and MLCs will donate one month's salary towards flood relief in Kerala.
Surjewala informed that the Congress-ruled states of Punjab and Karnataka have donated Rs 10 crore each to Kerala, while the government of Puducherry has sent Rs 1 crore.
The party's units in the adjoining states of Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been asked to mobilise relief for the flood-hit people of Kerala.