Nirmala Sitharaman: 31 died due to rain, Stalin was in Delhi instead of overseeing rescue ops

The Tamil Nadu government has not released figures for any rain-linked casualties so far, but, in a statement Friday, state finance minister Thangam Thennarasu hit back at Sitharaman, saying she was “apparently unaware” of the extent of the disaster. It was state government’s proactive measures and prompt relief and rescue operations that had helped avert a tragedy, he said.

The districts of Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli were among the worst hit during the rain on December 18-19, with Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi receiving 95 cm rain in a single day, far above the annual average.

Countering Stalin’s remarks, Sitharaman, who addressed a press conference in Delhi, said the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai had issued a warning for the four districts at least five days in advance.

“Should we specify how much rain will fall inch by inch? The state did not take the necessary precautionary measures despite receiving a warning five days in advance. Efforts to prevent flooding were not adequately made,” she said.

“The Chief Minister, instead of overseeing the rescue operations nearby, was in Delhi attending the INDIA alliance meeting… and then (he) requested time to meet the Prime Minister after the meeting…,” she added.

Listing out the emergency steps taken by the Centre during the floods in Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman said the Government has provided Rs 900 crores in advance for relief operations in the state. However, she said, the floods could not be declared a national disaster as it did not meet the “specific criteria”.

Hitting back, Thennarasu said it was “only because of the precautionary measures” of the Tamil Nadu government that a major disaster was averted. Rescue and relief operations were also carried out promptly, he said.

“This news of the disaster, known to all the people of the nation, is unknown only to one person in India, and that is the honorable Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman,” he said. “The Finance Minister, who took photos buying vegetables in Mylapore, did she even once visit Chennai to see the cyclone and flood damages on December 4?”

Saying that his government sought Rs 21,692 crore from the Centre, Thennarasu demanded the situation in the state be declared a ‘calamity of severe nature’. “If there is a genuine concern for ‘One Nation – One Country’, then declare the damage in Tamil Nadu as a severe disaster and release the relief funds requested by the Tamil Nadu government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena said Friday evening that relief operations in two of the four worst-hit districts, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, had ended and that efforts were being made to restore normalcy.