Centre showing political discrimination towards Kerala: AICC gen secy K C Venugopal
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Thursday accused the Centre of political discrimination towards Kerala for not granting the amount sought for rehabilitation of disaster-hit Wayanad.
Venugopal, also the MP from Alappuzha, said that the two Union Ministers of State -- Suresh Gopi and George Kurian -- should clarify whether they are satisfied with this approach of the central government towards Kerala.
In a statement, the Congress leader also took a dig at Gopi, asking whether he has the courage to hold a public meeting in the landslides-hit areas of Wayanad.
Gopi has been holding public meetings in various parts of the state, most recently in Alappuzha district.
He said that the two union ministers should clarify whether they have any sympathy, concern or interest towards the disaster-affected people of Wayanad who are being "ignored and excluded".
He asked "will both of them be ready to correct the central stand."
Venugopal said that the Centre's discrimination was evident from the fact that the state, which asked for Rs 2,219 crore for Wayanad rehabilitation, was allocated only Rs 260.56 crore, while states like Maharashtra and Assam got Rs 1,492 crore and 1,270 crore, respectively, for reconstruction of flood-hit areas.
The AICC general secretary contended that the Centre should be ready to correct this political discrimination being shown to the people of Kerala.
He alleged that the Modi government's policy was to politically and economically destroy the people of Kerala as they do not show any inclination towards the BJP.
"The central government is economically oppressing the states that are in their opposition," he further claimed and added that the Centre was trying to subvert the federal structure of the country.
Venugopal said that the people of Wayanad have the right to get the financial assistance they deserve and the Centre should adopt a humane approach in the matter.
Meanwhile, the BJP state unit thanked the PM for the Rs 260.56 crore allocated for Wayanad rehabilitation and claimed that it was a great relief to the affected families there.
BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in a press release, said that this amount was in addition to the Rs 682.5 crore provided by the Centre earlier.
He said that this indicates the commitment of the Modi government towards the people of Wayanad.
Chandrasekhar further said that not just Wayanad, but the flood problems in Thiruvananthapuram due to heavy rains was also considered by the Centre and it was decided to include the state capital in the Rs 2,444 crore National Urban Flood Risk Management Plan.
"The central government has always taken steps to combine development and provision. We will definitely provide help and support to the places where it is needed. The BJP and the central government are always with the people of Kerala," he added.
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ED searches: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of targeting Cong leaders
Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.
He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.
"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.
The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.
