The opposition CPI(M) on Thursday accused the Congress-led UDF government in Kerala of politicising the Wayanad landslide tragedy instead of focusing on rescue work. In a sharply worded editorial in its mouthpiece Deshabhimani, the party said contradictory statements by ministers and officials had created confusion, weakened public confidence and exposed serious administrative lapses.
The party alleged that, rather than prioritising rescue and rehabilitation, the government was “attempting to convert” the disaster into a political controversy while avoiding responsibility.
It said Kerala had built nationally and internationally recognised models for disaster response during earlier calamities, but the government had failed to follow that approach in this case.
The editorial referred to differing statements by ministers on what caused the disaster. According to it, Wayanad in-charge Minister T Siddique had initially described the incident as a “man-made disaster”, saying it was caused by scientifically improper dumping of excavated soil and not by a natural landslide.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan had also said the danger arose from the collapse of dumped soil rather than a hill slope.
However, Revenue Minister A P Anil Kumar later said it was a landslide that had triggered the disaster, contradicting the earlier stand, the editorial said. It added that the Chief Minister later revised his position as well.
The CPI(M) said such contradictory statements from ministers and authorities immediately after the incident caused public confusion and suggested an attempt to conceal technical facts and politicise the tragedy.
The party further alleged that the District Disaster Management Authority had ordered the removal of the dumped soil on June 20, but no follow-up action was taken.
Instead, it said, a Public Works Department team that inspected the site on June 25 decided that the soil did not need to be removed immediately and resolved to identify a suitable place to store it in consultation with the district collector.
According to the editorial, delays in precautionary steps by both the construction company and the government, along with poor coordination among departments, contributed to the disaster.
It also alleged that after the UDF came to power, proper inspections and corrective measures linked to the tunnel project were not carried out, and that safety guidelines remained only on paper while high-level review meetings became mere formalities, leading to loss of lives.
At the same time, the CPI(M) said the Anakkompoyil-Meppadi tunnel was one of Kerala’s dream infrastructure projects and warned against attempts to use the tragedy to derail it.
The editorial said the project had gone through a year-long Social Impact Assessment before the report was published in 2023, followed by public hearings in Wayanad and Kozhikode.
It added that the project received the state’s environmental clearance in March 2025 and approval from the Union Environment Ministry in May 2025, subject to 60 conditions to reduce environmental impact during construction.
It also said the Supreme Court had laid down 58 conditions while considering matters related to the project.
The CPI(M) also criticised a section of the media, alleging that some UDF-backed organisations, instead of reporting the incident objectively, tried to defend the government through contradictory narratives even during the disaster.
The party said the government should, instead of avoiding responsibility, ensure the tunnel project is implemented transparently and efficiently and take steps to prevent such lapses from happening again.
Four people were killed and several others were injured after a landslide hit the Anakkompoyil-Meppadi tunnel project site at Kalladi in Wayanad on July 7, in an incident that has now sparked a political confrontation over accountability, official response and the future of the project.
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jul 9, 2026 13:36 IST
