Terrible tragedy, needs urgent response: Rahul

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday described the landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad as a “terrible tragedy” of such magnitude that the state has not seen till now in a single area, and said it “demands a unique and urgent response”.

The Congress MP said he would raise the matter in Delhi and also with Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as “this is a different level of tragedy and should be treated differently”.

Right now the focus is on finding the bodies and potential survivors, making sure the displaced persons are comfortable in the camps, and rehabilitating them, he said.

The Congress MP said rehabilitation is going to be very important, as a lot of the survivors told him they did not want to go back to the land-slide-hit areas. “So, I think it is important that they are rehabilitated in a safe area and are not forced to go back. These are the things we have already raised with the Government of Kerala,” he said.