"Wants to steal money": Kerala BJP Chief questions Pinarayi Vijayan's govt figures on Wayanad relief expense

Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], September 17 (ANI): Kerala BJP Chief on Tuesday raised concerns about the credibility of Pinarayi Vijayan's government figures regarding Wayanad relief expense, suggesting they may be inaccurate or manipulated amid ongoing debates about the allocation and utilization of relief funds in the region.
Kerala BJP Chief K Surendran reiterated that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should tell the actual expense in Wayanad natural calamities.
Surendra told ANI, "Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan should clearly explain what the actual expense is in Wayanad natural calamities? He should tell what the government has spent from SDRF and what they need more of. The government has spent nothing for voluntary workers."
BJP pointed out alleged discrepancies in fund allocation and utilization. The BJP Chief alleged that the government's figures may be inflated or fabricated.
"Either the government is trying to make the central government a fool or it wants to steal money in the name of Wayanad Landslide, he added.
Surendran on Monday accused the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government of presenting inflated relief expenditures to the High Court in connection with the Wayanad landslides.
Congress leader VD Satheesan also slammed the Kerala government and said that they had not followed the SDRF rules while submitting a memorandum before the government of India over the Wayanad landslides.
"Whenever a state government is submitting a memorandum before the government of India, they have to follow the SDRF rules. Unfortunately, they have not followed the SDRF rules. It will lose the credibility of the rehabilitation process. For example, for the burial of the dead bodies a huge amount was shown. But that property was given by a Harrison Malayalam plantation, the equipment was given by some other contractors, and all the burial process were done by the volunteers," he said.
He also mentioned that the Kerala government is not putting pressure on the central government.
"Usually whenever a natural calamity happens, the central government should provide some advance to the state government. We are not seeking the distress relief front. It is common. We expect special financial assistance. This is the way international calamity in a bigger ground is happening. But unfortunately they are not giving any advance and they are not saying anything on this thing. So the government has to review the memorandum and to correct it," Satheesan said. (ANI)