Hyderabad: TPCC Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy has accused the BJP Government at the Centre of deliberately causing delay in extending required assistance to flood hit Kerala State.
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday, Gudur Narayana Reddy alleged that Prime Minister Narender Modi and his government at the Centre have been showing step-motherly treatment with Kerala as it was having a non-BJP Government. “The death of over 400 persons and displacement of lakhs of people in the devastating floods could not move the Central Government for the only reason that the State was not being ruled by the BJP or its ally. It took more than 10 days for the Centre to declare the Kerala floods as ‘severe calamity’. Compared to this, the Centre was quick in declaring ‘natural calamity’ for floods in Uttarakhand and also the Hudhud cyclone in Andhra Pradesh when TDP was part of NDA. PM Modi should realise that he is the Prime Minister for the entire country and not for any particular party or region. He should treat all States equally and act above political lines,” he said.
Gudur Narayana Reddy said that the delay by the Centre in declaring floods in Kerala as a ‘national calamity’ also delayed the donations from private institutions and individuals. He said donations made for relief and rehabilitation works after a calamity are eligible for tax exemptions. Therefore, he demanded that the Centre should implement the ‘severe calamity’ status for Kerala floods with retrospective effect so that those who made donations earlier could get tax exemptions. Further, he said now MPs would be able to spend on rehabilitation works in affected areas of Kerala from their MPLAD funds.
The Congress leader advised the BJP Government to stop playing politics over Kerala floods and facilitate an atmosphere wherein everyone could come forward to help the flood affected people. (NSS)
