New Delhi: The Congress on Friday (August 2) submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against Union home minister Amit Shah, accusing him of misleading the Rajya Sabha by claiming that the Kerala government had not utilised early warning systems and alerts issued by the Centre ahead of the landslides in Wayanad, in which at least 300 people have died.
In his letter to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, seen by The Wire, the Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP and chief whip Jairam Ramesh said that the home minister’s claims on early warning systems and how they were not utilised by the Kerala government in spite of alerts issued by the Centre ahead of the landslides had “been extensively fact-checked in the media”.
Citing a report in The Hindu, the letter said that Shah had “misled the Rajya Sabha by his emphatic statements on early warnings issued by the Union government which have been proven to be false.”
“It is well established that misleading the House by a Minister or a Member constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House,” the letter said.
“Under these circumstances, we submit that privilege proceedings may be initiated against the Union Home Minister in this matter.”
On July 31, Shah in his reply to the ‘calling attention’ motion on the Wayanad landslides had said that the Union government gave a warning to the Kerala government of heavy rain and the possibility of landslides on July 23 – as early as seven days before the Wayanad landslides occurred.
“… On July 23, seven days before [the landslides happened]. On July 26, we warned that there would be heavy rains of more than 20 cm … a possibility of landslides, [that] mud could rush and that people could be trapped and die in this too. I didn’t want to say anything, but questions were raised about India’s early warning system,” said Shah.
Shah said that many regions have used and benefitted from early warning systems and that as per this early warning system, on July 23 itself, nine National Disaster Response Force teams left for Kerala by flight under his own approval.
“The Union government did so much, what did the Kerala government do? People were living in vulnerable situations, but were they shifted? Why weren’t they shifted?” Shah asked. “If they had been shifted, how would they have died?” Shah had said.
His claims were contested by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan the same day, who detailed the times that alerts had come in from the Union government and said that the home minister had presented information in parliament that was “inconsistent” with facts.
On Wednesday, three Communist Party of India (Marxist) MPs, V. Sivadasan, John Brittas and A.A. Rahim, also wrote to Dhankhar submitting a notice that privilege proceedings be initiated against Shah for misleading the House, The Hindu reported.
The MPs said in the letter that the home minister had made factually incorrect statements.
“The statements in question have not only caused undue distress but also paint an unfair picture of the State’s gallant efforts,” the MPs were quoted as saying in their letter.
