Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has defended the central government’s handling of the recent Wayanad landslide crisis, amid accusations from the Congress party regarding the lack of advance warning. Joshi’s comments come as a response to allegations made by Congress leaders in Parliament, who claimed that the government failed to provide timely alerts about the disaster.
Addressing the media, Joshi stated, “As far as the Wayanad landslide issue is concerned, the Congress party has raised the issue in Parliament that advance information and alerts were not given. We had not even mentioned anything as such until then. When Congress leaders like KC Venugopal and John Brittas started levelling allegations, Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that we had indeed issued an advance warning.”
Joshi questioned the political motivations behind the Congress party’s allegations, asking, “What politics did we do? Is it not politics when you level allegations? When we give clarification, is that considered politics?”
The Wayanad landslide, which occurred in late July, caused significant damage and loss of life, prompting immediate calls for an investigation into the government’s preparedness and response. Congress leaders have criticized the central and state governments for what they describe as inadequate disaster management and failure to issue timely warnings.
In response, Joshi emphasized that the government’s clarification was based on factual information and aimed at addressing misinformation. He accused the Congress party of using the tragedy for political gain rather than focusing on constructive solutions.
The debate highlights ongoing tensions between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, with both parties leveraging the landslide tragedy to assert their positions on governance and disaster management. As investigations continue and recovery efforts progress, the political discourse around the incident is expected to remain a significant point of contention in the coming weeks.
