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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Standoff between Delhi, Shimla police after arrest of 3 Youth Congress activists
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Shimla/New Delhi (PTI): In an ugly face-off, Himachal Pradesh police on Wednesday registered a kidnapping case against Delhi police personnel and "detained" their vehicles at the Shogi border near Shimla when they were heading back to the national capital with three Youth Congress members arrested in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI Summit.
"A case has been registered against 15-20 unknown people in plain clothes for forcibly taking three people staying in a resort in Rohru. They also took the CCTV installed in the resort with them and did not give any receipt," a statement issued by the Shimla police said.
The Delhi police had earlier on Wednesday said it had arrested three Youth Congress activists in connection with the February 20 protest at AI Impact Summit from a hotel in Chirgaon area of Rohru subdivision of Himachal's Shimla district.
Saurabh, Siddharth and Arbaz were apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. They were produced before a local court, which granted transit remand to enable the police to bring them to Delhi for further questioning, an official of the Delhi police said in the national capital.
Himachal Police sources claimed they intercepted three vehicles in Shimla and Solan districts and brought them back to Shimla as the Delhi police had not taken transit remand.
Both the Shimla police and the Delhi police accused each other of hampering the investigation.
The sources in Himachal Pradesh police claimed the team from Delhi carried out the operation in Shimla without informing the local police.
Acting on this, Himachal Pradesh police intercepted three vehicles carrying the accused -- who are reportedly not residents of Himachal Pradesh -- and Delhi Police personnel.
Two vehicles were stopped in Shimla, while the third was intercepted near Dharampur in Solan district. Around 20 people, including police personnel, were detained, the source said.
The Delhi police personnel again tried to leave for the national capital but were intercepted at Shogi border on Wednesday night on the road to Chandigarh and not allowed to leave.
In a video that appeared from the Shogi border in the suburbs of Shimla city, the Delhi police officers were heard saying that they had arrested three people in the morning in connection with an FIR registered on February 20.
VIDEO | Shimla: A jurisdiction dispute has erupted after the Delhi Police detained three Youth Congress workers in connection with an AI Summit protest pic.twitter.com/H7o7eaYOb8
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 25, 2026
"We have to produce the accused arrested at 5 am today in the court in 24 hours, and you have stopped us after registering an FIR at 8 pm," an officer of the Delhi police said.
However, the Shimla police officers maintained that a case of abduction has been registered and the Delhi police is hampering the investigation.
They alleged that the Delhi police carried out an illegal operation at Rohru without informing the local police and no papers of arrest were shown.
"I asked you for a legal document in the morning, but neither have you shown any document nor the FIR number and nor have you taken the transit remand," the officer of Shimla police is heard saying.
The "shirtless" protest at Bharat Mandapam on February 20 had triggered a major security response, with police earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and former national spokesperson Bhudev Sharma were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. Both were produced before a Delhi court and remanded to police custody for interrogation.
According to the Delhi police, a total of 11 people have been arrested so far.
Earlier, on Saturday midnight, Delhi Police had raided Himachal Sadan in the national capital amid reports that Youth Congress workers who had participated in the protest were provided accommodation there.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had termed the action "unfortunate and against constitutional procedure".
A Delhi court on Wednesday extended by four days the police custody of five of the arrested in the case.
Arguing that the incident was not spontaneous but executed after prior planning, the Delhi police said that the initial probe revealed structured allocation of roles, concealment tactics and coordinated post-incident movement.
It, however, said that the entire conspiracy, including its hierarchy, funding and inter-state coordination, needed to be unearthed.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta extended the custodial interrogation of the accused -- Krishna Hari, national secretary of the Youth Congress from Bihar; Kundan Yadav, state general secretary of Bihar; Ajay Kumar Singh, state vice-president of eastern Uttar Pradesh; and Narasimha Yadav, national coordinator of IYC from Telangana.
Meanwhile, the Delhi police on Wednesday denied permission to the Delhi Youth Congress to hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar in national capital on February 26, citing short notice and prevailing law and order concerns.
The Delhi Youth Congress had called the dharna on Thursday against the police action on IYC members who had taken part in the February 20 protest.
