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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday (February 25) backed party MP Priyanka Gandhi's request to convert the government's Wayanad landslide relief from a loan to a grant. The remarks came amidst rumours of a rift after Tharoor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the LDF government in Kerala. "Strongly support the request from Priyanka Gandhi to convert the government's Wayanad landslide relief from a loan to a grant, and to extend the deadline to spend it.
The victims of Kerala's worst disaster deserve no less!" Tharoor posted on X. Strongly support the request from @priyankagandhi to convert the government’s Wayanad landslide relief from a loan to a grant, and to extend the deadline to spend it: https://t.co/bW8Wuzk6Wq The victims of Kerala’s worst disaster deserve no less! — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 25, 2025 On February 24, Priyanka Gandhi wrote to PM Modi, apprising him about the hardships being faced by the people of Wayanad while trying to rebuild their lives after the devastating landslides last year and urged him to convert the government's relief package into a grant.
"As the MP for Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, I felt it my duty to apprise you of the plight of the people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai in my constituency. It is indeed heartbreaking that even six months after a horrific tragedy destroyed their lives and livelihoods, they are facing unimaginable hardships while trying to rebuild their lives," Priyanka Gandhi wrote to Modi. A devastating landslide took place on July 30, 2024, in and around these two habitations of Wayanad district.
She said 298 people were found dead, 231 bodies were recovered along with 223 body parts and 32 persons were reported missing and declared dead. She said 17 families with members totalling 58 persons were completely wiped out and 1,685 buildings damaged. The Congerss leader said educational institutions, namely, the government vocational Higher Secondary School Vellarmala and the government lower primary school Mundakkai were completely wrecked by the landslide.
She said about 110 acre of agricultural land was destroyed by the landslide. "Given the above circumstances, it is clear that Wayanad district desperately needs support. Its people are resilient and brave, yet it is impossible for them to overcome this catastrophe without decisive financial and infrastructural support from both, the state and central governments.
Unfortunately, the rehabilitation process is progressing at a painful pace," she said. Pointing out that Prime Minister Modi had visited the affected areas in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy, she said his visit raised expectations of considerable financial assistance from the central government. However, the announcement of this inadequate and conditional relief package is extremely disappointing, Priyanka Gandhi said.
"I believe that the people of Wayanad deserve every possible assistance and support to pull themselves out of the terrible misfortune that has befallen them. I urge you to consider their plight with compassion," she said. With inputs from PTI.
