KASARAGOD: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan severely criticized the central government in the Wayanad tragedy. Centre denied Wayanad relief aid. The Chief Minister accused the Centre of taking a vindictive attitude towards Kerala.

What Centre is doing to Kerala should not be done to any state. Kerala is also a part of the country. Justice should not be denied. The Chief Minister said that there should be a strong protest in Kerala. He was speaking at a program in Kasaragod.

After accepting the state's request, centre had informed that the Wayanad disaster has been included in the critical category. A joint official team of central ministries who visited the place gave a report that the landslide that killed around 400 people in Wayanad was an extreme disaster. Home Minister Amit Shah has informed that a decision will be taken soon on the matter of granting aid based on this.

Although the Ministry of Defense has informed that the Air Force has incurred a cost of Rs 132.62 crore for the rescue missions during the disaster, the state government will not have to pay that amount. The state does not have to pay for such bills. Such bills are usually settled during the exchange of funds between the centre and the state. However, there will be a reduction in the central share. The move of the state is to send a reply letter to the Center requesting to waive the amount spent on the rescue mission.