'No red alert issued': Kerala minister's big charge against Centre as landslides ravage Wayanad

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the Centre did not issue any red alert for the landslides that ravaged Wayanad. She was responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement in Parliament that the Kerala government was warned in advance about the potential landslides, which resulted in over 160 deaths. 

George called Shah's statement as "unfortunate and misleading" and said that a verification of all messages from the Centre showed no red alert. "We have verified all communications from the Centre, and there was no red alert issued regarding landslides. The district administration acted based on an orange alert, which is a level lower in severity," she told NDTV in an interview. 

She also mentioned that the district administration took preventative action on the basis of the orange alert. This preventative action included the evacuation of many residents from low-lying areas to safer places.

Not only did Shah claim that Kerala government was warned well in advance, he also said the Centre dispatched 9 NDRF teams to the southern state in anticipation of heavy rainfall and potential landslides. 

Amit Shah also said that the government was warned a week in advance but they failed to evacuate people in time, which led to widespread destruction and loss of lives.

He also said that India is among those countries that can predict disasters 7 days in advance. Shah also mentioned that had the state government acted in time, the casualties could have been reduced significantly. "The Modi government stands firmly with the people of Kerala in this time of crisis," he said. 

Meanwhile, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan will hold an all-party meeting in Wayanad today. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also visit the relief camps today. Veena George also visited hospitals and relief camps. She said that the government's priority is to provide psychological support and focus on controlling the spread of contagious diseases. 

Moreover, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rains for Wayanad and several other districts in the state for the next couple of days. The weather office has also sounded a red alert for districts such as Idukki, Kasaragod, Kannur, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.