TN BJP slams Congress president Kharge over DMK government's Cyclone Fengal handling

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu BJP unit on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, holding Congress's ally DMK accountable for the devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal in Tamil Nadu.

In a strongly-worded statement, the Tamil Nadu BJP unit alleged that the devastation in the state was not just a result of the cyclone, but a man-made disaster orchestrated by the DMK government, which is a key alliance partner of the Congress.

The BJP unit claimed that the DMK government had failed to provide adequate warning to the people of Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, and other neighboring districts before opening the Sathanur dam, which resulted in widespread flooding and damage to property.

Despite having adequate knowledge about the movement of Cyclone Fengal towards the affected districts, the DMK government failed to undertake necessary preventive and evacuation measures, the BJP unit alleged in a social media post, quoting Kharge's post, which urged the PM to provide adequate funds for the cyclone-hit states.

The statement also questioned Kharge's silence on the issue, saying that as the AICC president, he should have had the courage to question his alliance partner for creating a man-made disaster in Tamil Nadu.

"Do you know that because of your alliance partner's failure to undertake necessary preventive and evacuation measures, around 7 people have died in a landslide and many others have lost their homes and livelihood in Tiruvannamalai?, " the BJP unit asked Kharge.

The statement also criticised the DMK government's response to the crisis, saying that while Chief Minister MK Stalin and his deputy Udhayanidhi were busy doing photoshoots in the streets of Chennai, DMK ministers and MLAs were facing the wrath of the public in the flood-affected areas.

Earlier, Kharge had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government to provide adequate additional funds to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karnataka for rehabilitation work through the PM Cares fund.

Meanwhile, BJP state president K Annamalai said that the public's frustration had reached a boiling point, as evident from the incident where public flung mud on the corrupt DMK minister K Ponmudy during his visit to a flood-affected area.

"This is a gentle reminder for DMK about what is in store for them, " Annamalai said.