Sikkim: Congress accuses Centre of being unresponsive towards people in disaster-hit state

The Congress Tuesday accused the BJP government at the Centre of being indifferent towards the plight of the people of Sikkim following the flash flood that claimed at least 70 lives and said a senior Cabinet minister should be sent to review the situation.

The Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi alleged that even National Disaster Relief Force teams have not been deployed in the disaster-hit state and the government was nowhere to be seen on the ground.

"What we are facing in Sikkim is unprecedented. The damage is unprecedented, and the loss in connectivity is unprecedented. Thousands of people have been displaced, many have died, and many are living in relief camps," he said. Gogoi said the northern parts of the state are cut off from the rest of the country and forces across the border are always waiting to intrude.

Around 25,000 people had been affected by the flash flood, which was triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of October 4, while 7,600 people have become homeless, he said. Twenty-three Army jawans were missing and around 3,000 tourists were still stuck in the Himalayan state as the roads were badly damaged and need to be restored at the earliest, the Congress leader said.

"In Chungthang, people are in severe distress, and connectivity to the border areas of India has been lost. It puts our border security at risk. In such a time, when there are foreign elements across our border, we cannot afford any of our border areas to be vulnerable, to be inaccessible to the Indian armed forces," he said.

Gogoi said that road transport in Sikkim has almost collapsed as 14 bridges have been damaged and those need to be restored immediately. Not only does it add to the sufferings of people as they cannot be reached, but it is also a cause of concern in terms of national security as army movement also takes place through National Highway 10, he said.

"We urge the Central government to step up aid. Rs 44 crore is too small for the scale of devastation in Sikkim. We urge the Central government to send a senior Cabinet minister to review the situation. In such a situation, it would have been apt for the Union Home Minister to visit," the Congress leader said.

Gogoi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again got busy with poll campaigning and alleged that he has no time for the people of Sikkim. Even Union Home Minister Amit Shah does not have time for the state as he can be seen everywhere during elections, the Congress leader said.

"Both of them simply vanished during this time of calamity," he alleged. Gogoi demanded immediate attention and intervention from the Government of India, saying that the people of Sikkim were upset and disappointed by the way they had been "ignored".

He urged the government to prioritise relief and rehabilitation measures in Sikkim at the earliest, asserting that it is the duty of the government towards the people of Sikkim. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in a post on X, said, "If Manipur is burning, Sikkim has been devastated by cloudburst and flooding. Both are small northeastern states that are crying for help. The eyes and ears of the central government are tightly shut"

"Neither the Hon'ble PM or the Hon'ble HM has found the time to visit Sikkim and offer the people solace and succour. The sum offered to Sikkim, Rs 44 crore, has added humiliation to neglect. When will the Central government realise that it is a government for all the states?" he added.