Wayanad Landslides: BJP Turns Down Rahul Gandhi's Call For 'National Disaster' Tag Citing UPA-Era Rule

Despite demands from Rahul Gandhi, the government maintains that concept of a 'national disaster' does not exist under the Central government's guidelines and urges people not to create controversy.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday turned down the demands to declare the devastating Wayanad landslides a national disaster, saying such a concept doesn't exist under Central government guidelines, a policy unchanged since the UPA government's tenure. The clarification came after various quarters of the society, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asked the government to Wayanad calamity as a national disaster.

Taking to his Facebook page, Senior party leader V Muraleedharan posted a 2013 Parliament document in which then Minister of State for Home, Mullappally Ramachandran, stated that there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster.  

"The concept of a 'national disaster' does not exist under the Central government's guidelines, a fact that has been the case since the UPA government's tenure. This was explicitly stated by the then Union Home Minister, Mullappally Ramachandran, in a response to a question in the Lok Sabha on August 6, 2013," Muraleedharan, who is also a former Union Minister, wrote.

Urging people not to attempt to create baseless controversies during this time of disaster, the Minister said, "While there is no official designation of 'national disaster', each disaster is addressed according to its severity."

Muraleedharan stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the families of those injured from the National Disaster Relief Fund, soon after the landslides struck Wayanad. He added that the Central government will extend all necessary assistance to the affected state governments, and noted that in Wayanad, the Army is continuing to lead rescue and relief efforts for the sixth consecutive day in areas ravaged by the disaster.

"The Prime Minister personally called Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and offered all support. Therefore, I request that no one should attempt to create baseless controversies during this time of disaster," he said. 

Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Thursday visited the landslide-hit Wayanad. Gandhi, a former MP from Wayanad, called it a 'terrible' tragedy, and said, "To me, this is a national disaster for sure, but let's see what the government says."

Three massive landslides struck Wayanad's Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas on July 30, wiping out entire villages.