• By Vivek Raj
  • Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:31 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed Chief Secretary V Venu to retract a controversial directive issued by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). The note, prepared by State Relief Commissioner Tinku Biswal, had advised science and technology institutions to avoid sharing opinions and study reports with the media regarding the recent landslides in Wayanad.

In a statement late Thursday, Vijayan clarified that the directive was misleading and did not reflect government policy. "The state government does not endorse such restrictions," Vijayan said adding that the Chief Secretary has been directed to immediately intervene and withdraw the communication that conveyed such a message.

The note had restricted scientific institutions from visiting Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad, where severe landslides occurred on Tuesday, killing at least 300 people. The order also required prior approval from the SDMA for any studies or media interactions related to the disaster.

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The scientific community had protested the note, which they viewed as an attempt to suppress information.

Following the directive, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heavily targeted the Kerala government. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya accused the government of censorship and negligence and said, “Emergency & censorship come naturally to communists.”

“The state govt is frightened that such activities will expose that the Wayanad Landslides is a Communist Govt-made disaster which happened from neglecting a series of early warnings from multiple agencies regarding the sensitivity of the region's landscape,” he added.

Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also slammed the INDIA alliance in response to the CPM government's order.

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“Everything — I repeat — everything the INDIA alliance says or does, including this official CPM government order silencing the scientific community, is marked by hypocrisy, double standards, and outright lies,” Chandrasekhar posted on X.