The BJP and the Congress have found common cause in stepping up attack on Chief Pinarayi Vijayan after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador denied having formalised any financial aid for flood-hit Kerala as claimed by the Chief Minister.
A political slugfest has been raging ever since Vijayan announced on Tuesday that the UAE government had conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi its willingness to extend an assistance of $100 million (₹700 crore) to Kerala.
Policy precedent
“The UAE government is willing to help us. The Crown Prince has spoken to our Prime Minister. The UAE has decided to help Kerala with $100 million,” the Chief Minister had announced.
This was communicated to Keralite (businessman) MA Yusuff Ali by His Highness Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE, when he had met him to convey Eid wishes.
The Centre, however, has apparently chosen to politely turn down the UAE’s reported offer, citing a policy precedent set by the then UPA government following the tsunami of December 2004. This set off a controversy with the State government and the Opposition demanding that the devastating floods should be taken up as an exceptional case.
The offer also needs to be dealt with sensitivity given the special ties between Kerala and the UAE.
BJP State President PS Sridharan Pillai said that the Chief Minister owes an explanation on how he allowed himself to be at the vanguard of a shameless campaign faulting the Prime Minister and the RSS for ‘blocking foreign aid’ to Kerala.
‘Peddling canard’
With the UAE Ambassador clarifying the Emirates’ stance, the ruling CPI(M) has been fully exposed, Pillai said. But this has not stopped the leadership of the party from peddling the canard, he added. The tragedy in Kerala could have been avoided if monitoring authorities had started releasing the waters gradually much earlier than when they did it eventually, Pillai said.
Interestingly, this has been the line taken by the Congress with Ramesh Chennithala, its Leader of Opposition, on Friday as he continued the tirade from where he left the previous day.
“The Chief Minister must explain how is it that his claim about the UAE offer has come to be demolished by a statement from the Ambassador of the UAE, no less.”
Chennithala also demanded that banks write-off of loans drawn by the affected people.
Those returning home from the relief camps should be provided an ex gratia of ₹10,000 as well as free ration, he said.