Days after appealing to the Central government to provide help to flood-hit Kerala, Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrived in the state Tuesday on a two-day visit. He met flood-affected people at Chengannur and will visit flood-hit regions including Alappuzha and Angamaly later in the day. He will also visit flood-affected areas in Wayanad district on Wednesday.
Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, among those who were at the airport to welcome Gandhi, tweeted: “Received Rahul Gandhi on his arrival in Thiruvananthapuram from Europe on his way to visit areas affected by Kerala floods. He will meet the heroic survivors and félicitate fishermen who sacrificed so much to rescue trapped people.”
Earlier on Monday, the Congress president had in a tweet said that he will meet fishermen and party volunteers involved in relief work in the state. "I will be in Kerala tomorrow & the day after, visiting flood-hit areas and relief camps in the state. I will also meet with fishermen, volunteers and others who have been working tirelessly and selflessly to help those in need," he had said.
Expressing solidarity with the people of Kerala, Gandhi had, in a series of tweets, requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare Kerala floods a national disaster. Gandhi later appreciated PM Modi's announcement of Rs 500 crore immediate aid to Kerala, but said it was not enough. "Dear PM, Increasing funds allocated for Kerala relief to Rs.500 Cr is a good step but nowhere near enough. It is critical you declare the floods as a National Disaster. Please do not vacillate as the people of Kerala are suffering," he had tweeted.
Kerala witnessed its worst floods in a century. According to the Home Ministry's National Emergency Response Centre (NERC), 443 people have died in Kerala and 54.11 lakh people in 14 districts have been severely affected.
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