Congress playing politics on Wayanad tragedy is unacceptable: Pralhad Joshi

Bengaluru: Central Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi on Saturday said that the Congress playing politics on the Wayanad tragedy is unacceptable.

“Even after the Union Home Minister Amit Shah clearly said that a warning had been issued beforehand, Congress leaders continue to make accusations, which are nothing but political,” Pralhad Joshi told media persons on the sidelines of the Mysuru Chalo Padyatra.

Earlier, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal had accused the Union government of not handling the Wayanad tragedy properly.

Pralhad Joshi said that the Union government had provided the Kerala government with a warning and necessary information on July 23.

“Despite this, the local government ignored the warning and did not take it seriously. Blaming the Union government for the Kerala government's administrative failures is inappropriate,” Joshi said.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the state government is getting a rehabilitation package ready for those who have been affected by the recent landslides and floods in Wayanad.

“Till now 215 bodies have been recovered and that includes 87 women, 98 men and 30 children. As many as 67 unidentified dead bodies have to be cremated and the funeral rites will be conducted with all religious prayers,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that so far 148 dead bodies have been handed over, while 206 are still missing and 81 injured people are in hospital.

“This includes 34 women, 36 men and 11 children while 206 people have been discharged and have been moved to relief camps. In Wayanad there are now 93 camps and 10,042 people stay there,” the Chief Minister said.