Centre justifies refusing foreign aid for Ker,Oppn slams stand

Opposition parties, including the Congress and CPI(M), today trained its guns on the Centre asking it to remove obstacles in accepting foreign aid for rain-ravaged Kerala, including Rs 700 crore offered by the UAE, even as government justified the stand.

Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam defended the Centre's decision, saying in refusing foreign aid for rehabilitation of the flood-hit state, the government has followed a 14-year convention it "inherited" from previous governments of not accepting such assistance in the face of natural calamities.

Joining the issue, CPI(M) Kerala state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said Centre should make changes in the convention to get Kerala assistance from foreign countries.

In a Facebook post, he termed as "wrong" the Centre's decision to refuse UAE's aid offer.

"The refusal to accept foreign assistance is an act of vengeance," Balakrishnan said.

Congress termed the centre's decision as "disappointing."