Disaster and politics should not be mixed together. There is no politics in tolerance. Similarly, there should be no politics in aid. Unfortunately, we are witnessing such unfortunate combinations every day. Regardless of the differences in the political spectrum, it can be said that the approach of the NDA government at the centre is generally sympathetic to Kerala. For some reason, the experience is that the centre's stance is negative when it comes to relief assistance for the Wayanad landslide, one of the biggest disasters that Kerala has seen.

The Kerala state had requested Rs 2221 crore for relief and rehabilitation. The Centre did not show any mercy to the repeated requests that assistance should be granted, considering Wayanad as a very severe disaster. The Central High Level Committee that met the other day allocated only a mere Rs 260.56 crore to Kerala, after calculating and recalculating, that too, more than a year later! The picture of discrimination against Kerala becomes clear when we know that Assam was allocated Rs 1270.78 crore for the floods that happened two years before the Wayanad disaster. Can we blame those who criticize and allege that the central government is mixing politics even in providing relief aid?

The total amount received by Kerala state since the Wayanad disaster till the last day, including the Rs 153 crore received this year to the Central Disaster Response Fund and the Rs 291 crore allocated to the State Disaster Response Fund last year, is Rs 444 crore. That amount is not for Wayanad relief. Even if the Rs 260 crore received now is added, the total amount comes to only Rs 704 crore! Meanwhile, it is not clear whether Kerala has provided the Centre with accurate figures regarding the utilisation of the amount provided as annual assistance. If such errors have occurred, Kerala should immediately rectify them, submit accurate figures, and justify that the amount currently allocated is limited, along with figures and details of the rehabilitation plan.

In any case, it is not auspicious that the Central Government, which gives adequate consideration to Kerala, including in infrastructure development matters, and maintains a sympathetic approach to state projects, is creating a situation where they are subjected to political criticism in the name of flood relief. The fact that the disaster occurred in Wayanad constituency, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is an MP or that Kerala is ruled by the Left, or that there is not even a single BJP member in the state assembly, should not be an issue in such circumstances. It is natural for such a misunderstanding to spread among the public. The Central Government should also see this as an opportunity to correct that mistake.