NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP

Tejasvi Surya

criticised leader of opposition in Lok Sabha

Rahul Gandhi

for failing to address issues related to landslides and floods during his tenure as the Wayanad MP. Surya’s remarks came amid a series of devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district that has claimed the lives of over 180 people.
On the Wayanad landslide, Tejasvi Surya said, “In the last 1,800 days since Rahul Gandhi was the MP from Wayanad, he has not raised the issue of landslides and floods even once in the Assembly and in the Parliament.

“In 2020, the

Kerala State Disaster Management Authority

advised relocating 4,000 families from landslide-prone areas in Wayanad. Till today no action was taken and the MP representing Wayanad did not even raise this issue till today. Kerala’s forest minister in the assembly admits that they are unable to remove illegal encroachment because they had pressure from various religious organizations,” Tejasvi added.
Lok Sabha was adjourned briefly after Congress objected to BJP leader Tejasvi Surya’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi over

Wayanad landslides

.

Responding to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s statement on the Wayanad landslide, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “It is very unfortunate that someone speaking in Parliament unnecessarily politicises humanity in times of crisis. It is feared that by the time the rescue operation is over we will have lost more than 200 lives. Not everything in our country is politics.”
Earlier, Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi urged the government to provide immediate assistance to the affected communities and to investigate the underlying ecological issues contributing to these disasters.

Rahul commended the military’s efforts in the region and emphasized the importance of providing support to the affected communities.
The recent tragedy in Wayanad, which has claimed over 180 lives and injured more than 200 people, follows a similar disaster five years ago. The former Congress chief stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the ecological factors contributing to these incidents.
The landslides, triggered by heavy rains, struck several hamlets including Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha, early on Tuesday. Rescue operations are ongoing as fears persist that more people may be trapped under the debris.