Kerala finance minister slams Centre for denying aid to Wayanad disaster victims

Kerala’s Finance Minister KN Balagopal sharply criticised the central government for its refusal to provide assistance to the victims of the Wayanad landslide disaster. The tragedy, which occurred in July 2024, claimed the lives of nearly 400 people and left over 100 others missing.
Despite the severity of the disaster, the central government declined Kerala’s request to declare it a national disaster and provide much-needed relief, a decision Balagopal called “gross discrimination without justification”.
In a strongly worded statement, Balagopal questioned the central government’s stance, asking, “Every day there is a situation where the central government needs to be reminded that Kerala is in India.” He further accused the Centre of showing “insolence” and a lack of respect for the people of Kerala, stating that the government’s refusal to provide aid indicated a political bias against the state.

In a strongly worded statement, Balagopal said: “The central government is showing gross injustice towards this major disaster that claimed the lives of nearly four hundred people and left more than a hundred missing. Compared to Wayanad, even states that have suffered minor disasters have been sanctioned huge sums, but the Centre has given zero to Kerala.”

The Finance Minister also criticised the delay in any response from the central government. Initially, there were reports that aid would be announced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the area, but no such assistance materialised, despite the high hopes built around the visit.

“Initially, the Sangh Parivar’s Centre spread the word that aid would be announced when the Prime Minister visits Wayanad. After many days of visit, nothing happened. Perhaps because the Kerala High Court was also aware of this discrimination, it directed the Centre to inform when the amount will be announced,” Balagopal’s statement read, adding: “Finally, after months, the central government has clarified its position. It has been officially announced that the Wayanad disaster will not be declared as a national disaster and aid will not be granted to Kerala.”

Criticising the Modi administration’s policies, the Finance Minister stated that Kerala was the most discriminated state and said, “The central government has adopted a policy of suffocating Kerala politically and economically.”

According to Balagopal, the central government’s refusal to declare Wayanad a national disaster and provide aid is a clear example of the erosion of federal values under the current administration.