After Somalia dig, Centre takes credit for returning Keralites trapped abroad
New Delhi/Kochi: On the backfoot after Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared Kerala to Somalia at a rally Sunday, the Centre bounced back today by stating it had successfully been able to evacuate over a dozen Keralites from strife-torn Libya.
After 29 Indians, including 16 Keralites, returned from Libya on Thursday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter to target Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Read: 29 Indians rescued from Libya return home
She tweeted, “We evacuated thousands of Indians from Kerala from Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Who paid for them?”
Mr.Chandy - We evacuated thousands of Indians from Kerala from Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Who paid for them ?
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 12, 2016
Mr.Chandy - You said 'Kerala paid for 29 Indians evacuated from Libya.'
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 12, 2016
Mr.Chandy - You started this debate - as to Who paid ? Not me. We always did this because this is our pious duty towards our citizens.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 12, 2016
Earlier, Chandy claimed that the state government was bearing the travel expense of the families, indicating that the Centre had not extended the financial assistance for their travel. "Sushma Swaraj paid for the earlier evacuations. This time we are paying for their travel," Chandy said.
Chandy had started the day on Facebook on Thursday berating the Prime Minister for not withdrawing his ‘Somalia’ remarks. He said Modi owed an apology to the state.
Read: PM insulted Kerala by likening it to Somalia: Chandy
In his Facebook post, Chandy said Modi had kept mum on the controversy and what Keralites wanted was not his silence, but an unconditional apology from the Prime Minister.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi left the election campaign rally (on Sunday) without answering my questions. It could be due to the wide criticism he had received not only from the state, but also from the Malayali community the world over," Chandy said.
Read: Modi in Kerala: PM gets trolled for his Somalia simile
In a hard-hitting letter, Chandy also lambasted Modi recently for comparing Kerala to Somalia during his poll campaign rally here, saying he has insulted the state. He had also requested Modi to show some "political decency" by withdrawing the statement as they were "baseless and contrary to ground realities".
Read: BJP backs Modi’s Somalia remarks, hits out at Oommen Chandy
"The people of Kerala, whose self-pride was wounded by the Prime Minister's statement, expected an unconditional apology from him and not his silence. But it didn't happen," he said adding that Keralites still hoped he would withdraw his 'Somalia' remark.
Read: CPIM in Kerala assails Modi for his Somalia remarks
Social media also witnessed campaigns with hashtag #PoMoneModi (Go Off Modi) mocking the Prime Minister over this comparison.
