Kerala Health Min accuses Oppn of politicising disaster, rejects charges over relief measures

Thiruvananthapuram - The Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan criticized the Opposition on Monday for attempting to capitalize on the current flood situation politically, while asserting that relief and prevention measures were being carried out efficiently. During a press conference, Muraleedharan stated that the Health Department was implementing measures to prevent disease outbreaks in relief camps and affected areas.

He dismissed allegations of a shortage of medicines in relief camps, claiming that no complaints had been received regarding this issue. Muraleedharan noted that medicines had been delivered where necessary, and there was an adequate supply of required medicines.

Regarding complaints about the Karunya scheme's availability of medicines, Muraleedharan clarified that the issue was limited to a single pharmacy, which would receive the necessary medications by Tuesday. Responding to criticism over Health Minister V D Satheesan attending a lunch program during the disaster, Muraleedharan dismissed the Opposition's attempts to create controversies, stating that such behavior demonstrated a lack of substantive criticism. He emphasized that political exploitation of a disaster was unfortunate.

Drawing a comparison to the 2018 floods, Muraleedharan noted that the Opposition then had criticized government shortcomings in response to the crisis but had never questioned the Chief Minister's whereabouts or meal arrangements. He defended the use of helicopters for official purposes, stating that they could be used as needed.

Muraleedharan rebuked claims that the CM utilized a helicopter for personal reasons, explaining that Satheesan had visited his critically ill father-in-law during an official trip, which demonstrated basic courtesy.

Muraleedharan reiterated that the government's priority remained on disaster management, public health, and relief operations, and appealed to political parties not to exploit the situation for political gain.