Kerala CM Refutes Amit Shah's Claim on Early Calamity Warning

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan refuted Union Home Minister Amit Shah's claims that the state was warned about potential landslides due to heavy rains as early as July 23. Vijayan stated that only an orange alert was issued by IMD before the event, which eventually escalated to a red alert post-landslides.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday refuted Union Home Minister Amit Shah's claim that the state government was warned as early as July 23 regarding a possible natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains.

Vijayan clarified that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only issued an orange alert in the district ahead of the landslides. The district, however, received over 500 millimeters of rainfall, significantly higher than IMD's prediction. He emphasized that a red alert was issued only after the landslides occurred on Tuesday morning.

Vijayan noted that this is not a time for blame and that Shah's remarks are not being taken adversarially. Shah, in the Rajya Sabha, accused the Kerala government of disregarding early warnings and failing to respond promptly even after the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions arrived in the state.