Would have been good had PM visited landslides-hit Wayanad earlier: Shashi Tharoor

Chennai: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday opined that it would have been good had Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the landslides-hit Wayanad earlier.

The MP from Thiruvananthapuram said he hoped at least after the Prime Minister's visit the Central government would announce it as natural calamity and provide appropriate funds for relief and rehabilitation.

"As far as I am concerned, I think that better late than never is the best I can say," Tharoor told reporters responding to a question on Modi's visit to Kerala's Wayanad earlier in the day.

The July 30 landslides claimed the lives of 226 people so far, while over 130 are feared missing. The calamity caused widespread destruction in Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Punchirimattam hamlets.

"But honestly, it would have been good if he had gone earlier and seen the conditions on the ground as some of us have done. I was there last week, it was a very emotionally searing experience, otherwise serious calamity," Tharoor said.

Recalling the visit of Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he said "we understood the importance and gravity of the situation." The senior Parliamentarian admitted that rehabilitation would pose a challenge. "I hope the government with the Prime Minister's visit, will now make it a point to actually go ahead and declare this a national calamity so that appropriate level of assistance can follow," he emphasised.

He urged the Centre to allow all the MPs in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to extend their constituency development fund towards the rehabilitation in Wayanad.

Earlier, participating in the Radiant Wellness Conclave held under the aegis of the Radiant Group of Companies here, the MP, along with former Chief of Army Staff General Ved Prakash Malik, Col. David Devasahayam, patron of the Radiant Wellness Conclave, and Dr Renuka David, founder of Radiant Wellness Conclave, presented the Radiant National Icon Award to honorary Captain Sanjay Kumar, a living Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardee in recognition of his exceptional bravery and service to the nation.

Awards were also given to personalities who distinguished themselves in diverse fields.

The conclave commemorated the 25th anniversary of India's victory in the Kargil War and paid rich tribute to the bravery and sacrifices of the soldiers and officers killed in action, wounded and the veterans of the Kargil War.