Kerala BJP asks CM Pinarayi Vijayan 'to explain' UAE's Rs 700-crore help

The Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not announced any financial aid amounting to Rs 700 crore for the flood-hit state and asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to reveal the source of the information on the foreign financial aid.

"We want Vijayan to explain the news and from where he received it. After the Centre expressed reservations in accepting the aid, a vicious smear campaign was unleashed against the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Kerala BJP chief PS Sreedharan Pillai, while addressing the media.

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Pillai added that no central government barring Modi’s has assisted so much to a state.

"He came and assessed the flood situation. Despite bad weather, he got in a helicopter and surveyed the destruction. Such is his commitment," he added.

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Earlier, Vijayan said that the information about UAE offering flood relief of $100 million was conveyed to him by Middle East business MA Yusuf Ali.

Meanwhile, the UAE on Friday put an end to the speculation and said that it was yet to finalise an amount to help the flood-hit victims of Kerala.