Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday slammed Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav's statement that the state allowed "illegal human habitat expansion and mining" in its ecologically fragile regions, which he claimed led to the landslides in Wayanad, terming it "false allegations".
The latest row between the Centre and the state has erupted amidst ongoing search operations in the landslide-hit areas of Wayanad district, where over a thousand rescue personnel from armed forces, along with heavy machinery, drones, and Air Force helicopters, have been deployed to search for survivors and recover bodies.
Yadav's remarks marked the second time the Union Government has held the state responsible for the disaster in the ecologically fragile region of the hill district.
Previously, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had alleged that the state government failed to act on the Centre's warning of a potential natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rainfall, eliciting a strong response from Vijayan, who termed Shah's claims as unfounded and baseless.
On Monday, Yadav said that "illegal human habitat expansion and mining" in the state's ecologically fragile region led to the devastating landslides in Wayanad.
He had also criticised the state government for "neglecting" crucial environmental factors such as soil topography, rock conditions, geomorphology, mountain slopes, and vegetation structure while permitting human habitations.
"An episode of extreme rain led to the incident," he had said.
Hitting back at the Union Minister, Vijayan said that his remarks were "false allegations" and served only to "insult the people" who died or lost everything in the landslides.
The CM also said that Yadav's comments were an example of a few people exploiting the disaster "for narrow interests".
"Kerala has yet to recover from the psychological trauma inflicted by a natural disaster that claimed numerous lives, left many more in uncertainty, and devastated an entire region... We are in a period that requires deep contemplation and collective effort.
"It is regrettable that a few are exploiting this situation for narrow interests. It is particularly reprehensible when those tasked with enlightening the public about reality are involved in it. Unfortunately, the recent statement by the Union Minister of Forest and Environment, Bhupender Yadav, is an example of this," Vijayan said at a press conference here.
He said that anyone with even a basic understanding of Kerala's hilly regions would know that the people living there cannot be labelled as unauthorised settlers.
"Migration to Kerala's hilly regions has a history spanning centuries. The lives and cultures that have developed in these challenging conditions have a long history.
"It is inappropriate for the Union Minister to be part of the propaganda that labels these people as encroachers without any understanding of this history," the CM said.
He also questioned whether the Union Minister was implying that the estate workers living in makeshift shelters are illegal encroachers.
"Aren't such people placing the responsibility for the landslides on the impoverished workers?" the CM asked.
Vijayan also termed as false Yadav's claim that the landslides were caused by illegal mining, saying that the nearest quary was over 10 kilometers away.
He said that the Union Minister's statements give credence to the news reports which claim that the Centre approached scientists and pressurised them to write against Kerala in the context of the Wayanad disaster.
"This effort to mobilise scientists against the Kerala government has reportedly been made through the Press Information Bureau. When considered alongside the Union Minister's recent statement, these media reports appear to be accurate," Vijayan said.
He said that everyone knows no illegal mining occurs at Mundakkai, one of the areas devastated by the landslides. Therefore, to make a claim that the disaster occurred due to illegal mining "was politically motivated", he added.
Earlier in the day, state Industries Minister P Rajeev termed Yadav's statement as part of a conspiracy to blame the state's policies for the landslides that hit Wayanad.
The CM also addressed queries regarding the allegations against making donations to the Chief Ministers' Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF).
Terming the allegations against the CMDRF as "false propaganda", he said that the same should not be spread when the state was facing one of the worst disasters the country has ever witnessed.
"All the information such as assistance received through the relief fund, amount utilised, details of beneficiaries are under the purview of the Right to Information Act. This account is audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)," he further said.
From July 30 to 5 pm on August 5, the total amount received in the relief fund was Rs 53,98,52,942 he said.
During his press conference, the CM also gave details of the search and rescue operations being carried out in the landslides-hit areas.
Currently, 154 people are estimated to be missing and 88 are admitted in hospitals, he added.
He said that steps will be taken for the visit of a four-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) headed by the Union Home Ministry's Joint Secretary.