A fresh political dispute has emerged between the State and Central governments regarding the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) insistence that Kerala pay an overdue bill of ₹132 crore for airway services deployed during humanitarian disaster operations since 2019. This contention has surfaced during a critical period when both the ruling and opposition parties in Kerala are advocating for substantial federal assistance to aid the rehabilitation of areas devastated by recent landslides in Wayanad.
During a press conference in Thrissur, Revenue Minister K. Rajan expressed his strong disapproval of an October communication from the Centre, which called on Kerala to remit significant operational costs accrued by the IAF during various search, rescue, and relief operations, including those responding to the recent landslide in Wayanad. A joint secretary from the Ministry of Defence, holding the rank of Air Vice Marshal, had formally requested the settlement of these costs through a letter directed to the Chief Secretary of Kerala, providing an itemized airway bill as part of the correspondence.
Rajan criticized the Centre’s demand as yet another instance of perceived discrimination against Kerala. He argued that it was unjust for the Centre to require the state to cover expenses incurred by the IAF while conducting life-saving operations during major natural disasters, such as the catastrophic floods of 2019, particularly by utilizing the already strained State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF).
Highlighting the state’s financial struggles, Rajan stated that Kerala was in a precarious fiscal situation, further exacerbated by the Centre’s refusal to expedite emergency assistance for the crisis in Wayanad for seemingly political motives. He warned that adhering to the Centre’s demands to compensate the IAF could plunge the state into deeper financial turmoil, potentially draining essential funds allocated for disaster response.
In light of these developments, Rajan mentioned that the state government has no choice but to contemplate compensating the IAF using its limited SDRF resources if the Centre continues to press for payment. He vowed to approach the Centre once more to request a waiver for the substantial airway charges retroactively from 2019.
Amidst this political contention, leaders from both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) have united to protest outside Parliament against the Centre’s refusal to release aid for the Wayanad disaster. CPI(M) leader K. Radhakrishnan characterized the Centre’s demand for payment as an insult to the people of Kerala who are grappling with the challenge of rehabilitating those affected by the landslide.
In New Delhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the protest, condemning what she described as a politically driven delay in providing disaster assistance. She drew attention to the plight of Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh, which similarly faced severe flooding and is still awaiting crucial federal support. Vadra urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transcend partisan divides during national emergencies and reaffirm his commitment to safeguarding the welfare of citizens.
K.V. Thomas, Kerala’s Special Representative in New Delhi, further underscored the sense of grievance, alleging that the Centre’s actions reflected a politically vindictive stance towards Kerala. He stressed that the state was not begging for charity but asserting its rights in the federal framework, pointing out that the government had offered generous assistance to other states impacted by natural crises. He emphasized the scale of the Wayanad disaster, asserting that it had few parallels across the nation and would not intimidate Kerala’s resilient population into silence.
