‘Liar’: Kharge says PM Modi did not keep Wayanad landslide relief promises

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday, 7 November, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not providing the help he promised to the landslide-affected people of Kerala's Wayanad district.

Addressing a by-election meeting organised in support of Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Nilambur assembly segment of the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, Kharge came down heavily on Modi, calling him a "liar".

Referring to the promise made by the prime minister after visiting the landslide-hit areas of Wayanad district, the Congress president said Modi's promise turned out to be hollow words.

"While Kerala submitted a detailed compensation package of Rs 2,000 crore for disaster relief, only a meagre sum of Rs 291 crore was sanctioned. That's why I always used to say Modi is a bogus man. He is a liar."

Kharge alleged that the BJP-led Centre discriminated against opposition-ruled states in providing disaster relief.

He said that the BJP-ruled states received the lion's share of Central aid. "Is this how a responsible government treats its people in times of crisis?," he asked.

Kharge said the Indian National Congress never discriminated against any state in any matter. "We are committed to the values of inclusivity, fairness, and justice," he said.

Later in a post on X, the Congress president alleged that the Modi government's actions are 'tearing at the fabric of our unity'.

'Instead of fostering harmony, they have resorted to spreading division, anger, and fear. They seek to divide us on the basis of caste and religion, but I trust the people of Wayanad and surely, they cannot divide them,' he said.

The Congress president said Kerala has always stood by the constitutional ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity amongst its people.

"People of Kerala have believed in the idea of a secular India," Kharge said.

The by-election for the Wayanad seat became necessary after Rahul Gandhi, who won Lok Sabha seats from both Wayanad and Raebareli, decided to vacate Wayanad. It is now being contested by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The by-poll for the Wayanad seat is set for 13 November.