CPI-ML New Democracy, Press Release

Declare National Calamity in Kerala; Extend all help to Suffering People of Kerala; Central Govt. must shed its Apathy to the Sufferings of the People

People of Kerala are undergoing immense suffering due to heavy damage caused by incessant rains. Over a hundred have died. More than two lakhs have been forced to leave their homes and over one lakh are waiting to be rescued. Thousands of houses have been destroyed. Damage to property has crossed ten thousand crore rupees. The whole of the state has been dislocated. While rains are showing no signs of stopping, other problems are waiting in the wings like water borne diseases.

The catastrophe that has hit Kerala needs all out support from the people all over the country. All kinds of help should be extended to fellow brothers and sisters of Kerala.

Why has this calamity hit Kerala, the Central Govt. has not risen to the occasion to give the kind of help required by the situation. Though the Prime Minister and Home Minister have undertaken imperial style aerial surveys, the help on the ground has been inadequate. It has not matched its words with action. Central Govt. should immediately declare it as a national calamity. Central Govt. should extend all the assistance, financial and material, needed to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.

While we must extend all help and assistance to our brethren, we should also question the policies being followed by successive govts. in Kerala which have denuded the natural capacity to face such vagaries of nature. Human action, like uncontrolled deforestation, has aggravated the impact of such heavy rains.

Central Committee

CPI (ML)-New Democracy

August 17, 2018