Wayanad: BJP leader and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan's statement that it is incorrect to say an entire village washed away in the Wayanad landslides sparked controversy on Tuesday. He said only three wards of two panchayats were destroyed and that there was no point in talking emotionally.

Muraleedharan also accused the INDIA alliance of spreading false propaganda on the pretext of additional assistance from the Centre. His response comes amid the hartal announced by the LDF and UDF against the Centre in Wayanad.

The UDF called for a strike to highlight the failures of the Central and Kerala governments in addressing the landslide disaster. The LDF, on the other hand, was protesting against the Central government’s refusal to declare the Wayanad landslide a national disaster.