Idukki: Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Friday visited the residence of Soumya Santhosh, who was killed in a Palestinian rocket attack in Israel, and assured the Centre's support to the needs of her nine-year-old son.
Muraleedharan said he visited Soumya's family to convey to them the condolences and support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had instructed him to meet them.
"Visited the family of Soumya Santhosh, who died in the rocket strike from Gaza in Ashkelon, Israel. Fell short of words to console the family that has lost its loved one," he said in a tweet.
"One cannot provide the care and comfort of a mother to the child but assured to support the needs of Soumya's son, including his education. Conveyed to them the condolences & support of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi who instructed me to meet the family," Muraleedharan said.
The Minister of State for External Affairs slammed Kerala's ruling CPI(M)-led LDF for not sending even a government official to her residence to console her family.
He urged the State government to support Soumya's family.
"Unfortunately, no State govt official visited Soumya's house for so many days. Lack of jobs in Kerala is forcing many like Soumya to go abroad to look for jobs amid great risk to support their family. The State govt must support her family and provide her with adequate relief," Muraleedharan tweeted.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the BJP leaders were unleashing cheap propaganda on the matter.
Asked about the BJP leaders' allegations that the government neglected Soumya's family, Vijayan said, "They (BJP leaders) were carrying out a ridiculous campaign on the issue."
He said the entire State stood by Soumya's family in this hour of grief.
Her funeral was held in Keerithodu last Sunday by adhering to COVID-19 protocol.
On Wednesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had spoken to the family of the Indian caregiver who was killed on May 11 in the rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, and conveyed his condolences.
Soumya Santosh, 30, who hailed from Kerala's Idukki district, worked as a caregiver attending to an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.
She was talking to her husband Santhosh over a video call in the evening on May 11 when a rocket fired from Gaza hit the house where she was working.
