With Himachal Pradesh staring at unprecedented losses due to recent rain and flooding, the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Centre is moving quickly to pump in monetary assistance to the ravaged state, where it had lost power last year to the Congress.
Given the severity of the losses due to Himachal rain fury, the party, apart from directing its local leadership on the ground to reach out to the people, has asked its top brass to ensure that all Central help is made available.
Although the Congress government in the state has been accusing the Centre of not providing adequate help, the BJP-ruled Centre has denied the charges and dispatched its top leaders namely national president J P Nadda and senior minister Anurag Thakur to assess the damage. The two completed their tour of the state on Sunday and have assured the state of all help.
A war of words had broken out a few days ago with Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu issuing a notification declaring the recent floods and rain as a natural disaster without seeking a go-ahead from the Centre. The BJP leadership has been accusing Sukhu of indulging in flood politics. Nadda refused to make any comment on the state government notification and demands from the CM.
“Declaring or not declaring something is not the issue. I am saying whatever Himachal needs will be given, it will be taken care of. You tell us the problem and the Centre will help,” Nadda said after visiting Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar, the two landslide-hit areas in the city on Saturday. “We have assured the Chief Minister that the Centre would leave no stone unturned to restore normalcy in the state,” he added.
Before arriving in Shimla, Nadda also visited the landslide-hit areas in district Sirmaur. Nadda said that an additional Rs 200 crore had been released from National Disaster Response Fund. “The Centre is committed to providing funds to restore national highways and state highways as well,” said Nadda.
Sukhu, however, seems to be unrelenting in his criticism. “We have sent the damages amounting to Rs 6,700 crore to the Centre as per its relief manual by August 10. The second wave of disaster struck on August 13, and now the total losses would go beyond Rs 10,000 crore. We have informed the Centre about our problems, now it’s for the Centre solve them,” he said.
The Centre has debunked Sukhu claims. The Home Ministry in a statement said, “The Centre, without waiting for memorandum, has also deputed inter-ministerial central teams to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and relief work being carried out by the state government, which visited affected areas from July 19 to 21.”