New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha saw another heated exchange between the Chairman of the House, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge Tuesday, as the Opposition sought a discussion on the matter of the deadly landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad.
While Kharge urged Dhankhar to allow a Kerala MP to speak instead of divulging the details about the situation himself, Dhankhar cautioned Kharge to behave responsibly like the Leader of Opposition, and asked other opposition MPs to avoid “scoring points” using the tragedy.
As soon as Rajya Sabha convened Tuesday, several members of the Opposition demanded the opportunity to discuss the status of the rescue operations in Wayanad. Chairman Dhankhar addressed Kharge and said, “The entire country has converged all agencies to help out the people in distress. The prime minister, chief minister… Everyone is alert and engaged in the activity.”
In response, Kharge said, “Our MP from Kerala has the relevant information about the situation. I request you to allow her to speak about everything that you have been saying. Instead of you giving us details, the Centre should update us on the rescue and relief arrangements.”
Dhankhar replied, “Respected Leader of Opposition, I understand your sarcasm. Please maintain dignity. This is a sensitive issue.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas said that the military must be sent by the Centre to Wayanad, while Congress MP Jebi Mather asked for the landslides to be declared a national disaster and said that a Rs 5,000 crore relief package must be released by the government.
Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House J.P. Nadda said, “The Centre is proactively responding to the tragedy. The primary necessity is to retrieve bodies, rescue individuals and launch an emergency response.“
He added, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister and gave him assurance. Relief support from central agencies has reached there. They are working in coordination with the state government.”
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijuju also spoke in the Upper House and said, “This is not the time for politics. This is a serious matter… This is the time for rescue and relief, the steps of rehabilitation and reconstruction will come later.”
“Union Minister George Kurian was sent to Kerala early morning. The National and State Disaster Response Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and the military forces have all been activated,” he said.
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‘Need mapping of landslide-prone areas’
Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi urged the government to restore vital transport and communication lines in the area and set up relief camps at the earliest. He said, “The landslide threat looms over many areas of Wayanad and the Western Ghats. There is an urgent need for mapping of landslide-prone areas and relevant mitigation measures, and framing an action plan for the ecologically fragile zones.“
Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said, in a written response in the Lok Sabha, “As per the National Policy on Disaster Management, the primary responsibility for disaster management, including disbursal of relief to the affected people, rests with the State Governments/Union Territories concerned. The scheme of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) does not contemplate declaration of any calamity as national calamity.”
“The State Governments undertake relief measures in the wake of natural disasters from the SDRF, already placed at their disposal, in accordance with the Government of India’s approved items and norms. However, the Central Government adjudges a calamity of ‘severe nature’ on case-to-case basis taking into account inter-alia, the intensity and magnitude of the calamity, level of relief assistance required, coping capacity of the State Government to tackle the problem etc.,” the response added.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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