Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi announced on Friday that the Congress will construct over 100 houses in Wayanad.

He said that Kerala has not witnessed such a tragedy in a single area before and he will raise the issue in Delhi as well. The Congress leader is currently visiting relief camps in Wayanad, which has been struck by three major landslides, resulting in the deaths of over 275 people and the destruction of numerous houses.

“I have been here since yesterday. As I said yesterday, this is a terrible tragedy. We went to the site yesterday. We went to the camps, we assessed the situation there. Today, we had a meeting with the administration and the panchayat. They briefed us on the number of casualties they expect, the number of houses that have been damaged and their strategy,” said Rahul Gandhi. 

“We have said that we are here to help in any way possible. Congress family would like to commit to build 100 plus houses here. I think, Kerala has not seen this type of a tragedy in one area, and I am going to raise it in Delhi and also with the chief minister here that this is a different level of tragedy and should be treated differently,” Rahul Gandhi added. 

The Lok Sabha MP after on Thursday had said it was painful to see the destruction caused by landslides and he was feeling the same emotions that he felt when his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated in 1991.

He has visited various camps with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who has been announced as the Lok Sabha candidate from Wayanad. 

Around 350 buildings had been damaged in the landslides. The rescue work had been hampered by several challenges, including treacherous terrain and a shortage of heavy equipment.

1600 rescue workers, including those from the Army, Navy and NDRF, were pressed into the rescue operations.