New Delhi: Communist Party of India’s Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar has submitted a privilege motion against Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of misleading Parliament regarding the Wayanad landslides. Kumar contends that Shah’s claims that Kerala was forewarned about the disaster are inaccurate.

During a debate on July 31, Shah stated that Kerala received warnings about heavy rainfall on July 23 and that the Centre promptly sent nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the state. However, Kumar argues that the area affected by the landslides was never under a "red alert" prior to the disaster.

Kumar's petition, addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, highlights that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only issued a "Yellow" alert for the affected sub-division on July 23, with no "Red" alert issued until after the landslides occurred. He criticized Shah's statements as an attempt to politicize the tragedy and mislead Parliament and the public.

According to the IMD forecast of July 23, Kerala was only advised of "very heavy rainfall" at isolated locations, with the alerts for July 23-27 varying between "Yellow" and "Orange." A "Red" alert, which signifies an immediate need for action, was not issued until after the landslides struck, including the first incident in Mundakkai at 1:00 a.m. on July 30 and a subsequent landslide in Chooralmala at 4:10 a.m.

Kumar's petition emphasizes that the July 30 forecast, which mentioned heavy rainfall for Kerala, did not specify the affected areas until after the landslides had already occurred.