Centre waives loans of big businesses, not of Wayanad landslide victims: Priyanka Gandhi
Thiruvananthapuram/Wayanad (PTI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday criticised the central government for not waiving loans of the Wayanad landslides victims, saying it has no hesitation in writing off debts of big businesses.
Priyanka, in a statement issued by the party, was reacting to the central government's stand in the Kerala High Court that it cannot waive the loans of the Wayanad landslides victims.
The Congress MP from Wayanad said she completely agrees with the High Court's observation that the Centre has failed the victims in their time of need.
In a stinging observation, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday said that the Union government has "virtually failed" the victims of the 2024 landslides in Wayanad by not exercising its powers to waive the loans availed by them.
Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan, also expressed his disagreement with the Centre's stand, terming it a "wrong move".
He said that the landslide victims have all kinds of loans, but no source of income or assets.
"It is in such circumstances that the loans have to be waived," he said.
He said that the Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution last year for waiving the loans of the landslide victims, and now, the central government has to take a decision in this regard.
However, the Centre has taken a different stand in the case of Kerala as compared to Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and various other north Indian states, he claimed.
"It is a wrong stand by the Centre," he contended.
"We are requesting the Centre to help the victims of the Wayanad landslides, despite the observations of the High Court," he added.
A major landslide struck the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions on July 30 last year, almost completely decimating both areas.
The disaster claimed over 200 lives and left hundreds injured.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
