Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has accused the CPI(M) of politicising disasters.
Delivering the inaugural address at the election convention of M.M. Hassan, the UDF candidate in Chadayamangalm, he said the Opposition party’s demand for the resignation of the Home Minister in the backdrop of the fireworks accident at Puttingal was unfortunate.
“The stampede at Pulmedu which claimed the lives of 105 Sabarimala pilgrims and the boat accident at Thekkady in which 100 people lost their lives happened during the previous LDF regime when Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was the Home Minister. Then Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy and myself braved the chill and fog to visit the disaster site in the darkness, while Ministers turned up only in the morning. But we never demanded the Home Minister’s resignation for these disasters, because the Congress does not believe in reaping political mileage out of disasters and people’s sufferings,” Mr. Chennithala said.
He added that he had taken necessary steps to coordinate rescue efforts at Puttingal. “While the whole State faced the disaster as one, the CPI(M) leadership tried to capitalise on the issue to reap political advantage,” he alleged.
N.K. Premachandran MP, DCC president Kodikunnil Suresh and KPCC general secretary Thampanoor Ravi were present.
‘After Pulmedu stampede and Thekkady accident, UDF did not ask Kodiyeri to resign’
