Volunteers Should Be Supported, Not Insulted, Says M V Jayarajan on Sunny Joseph's Remarks

Kanhangad: CPI(M) state secretariat member M V Jayarajan said volunteers involved in disaster relief efforts should be supported and encouraged rather than insulted.

He was responding to remarks made by Minister Sunny Joseph, who reportedly said that volunteers participate in relief work at their own risk and that the government is not responsible for them.

“Volunteers are actively involved in disaster relief operations. It is inappropriate for a minister to make such remarks about people who are contributing to relief efforts. Such a statement should not have come from a minister,” Jayarajan told reporters in Kanhangad.

He recalled that former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had described fishermen who risked their lives to take part in rescue operations as “Kerala’s army.”

Jayarajan said the official rescue machinery became active only on the third day of the search for Rajesh, a swimming coach who went missing at Meenthulli in Payyannur. Volunteers had joined the search efforts before the official agencies intervened, he said.

“The previous LDF government had also stated that expenses incurred by volunteers as part of rescue operations would be reimbursed,” he added.

Jayarajan said this was how a government should function effectively during such crises. The CPI(M) would cooperate with the government’s disaster relief efforts, he said.

During the floods of 2018 and 2019, then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan postponed even a trip planned for medical treatment to coordinate relief operations. He remained in Thiruvananthapuram and led the response efforts, while government employees stayed in their offices and worked to overcome the disaster, Jayarajan said.

He said the Chief Minister should now coordinate relief operations by assigning ministers responsibility for individual districts and bringing together officials and elected representatives.

“The Chief Minister’s decision to attend private programmes for two days during the crisis led to widespread criticism. Nobody is saying that the Chief Minister should not eat. However, ministers in charge of districts are not paying adequate attention to their respective districts,” Jayarajan said.

He added that the failure to effectively coordinate relief operations was a major shortcoming. During visits to relief camps, it had become evident that proper arrangements and coordination were still lacking, he said.