Mathew Kuzhalnadan claims 2018 Kerala floods ‘man-made’ disaster fuelled by LDF govt’s corruption; releases audio clip

Kochi: UDF candidate from Muvattupuzha, Mathew Kuzhalnadan ignited a political storm on the final day of public campaigning in the state when he targeted LDF govt, alleging that the 2018 floods were a ‘man-made' disaster fuelled by corruption and mismanagement.Kuzhalnadan on Tuesday released an audio clip purportedly belonging to current electricity minister K Krishnankutty in which he alleges that the then water resources minister Mathew T Thomas intentionally mismanaged dam levels and spillways to benefit private contractors and the mineral sand lobby. The audio clip suggested that Thomas delayed opening Thottappally spillway to prevent sand deposits from being washed away, and that similar mismanagement occurred at Maniyar project and Peringalkuthu dam. "It was the greed among those in the Pinarayi govt that brought Kerala to the state of devastation," Kuzhalnadan, accompanied by a former staffer of Krishnankutty named Prabhat, told reporters. Kuzhalnadan claimed that the recorded phone conversation features Krishnankutty speaking to a senior member of his own party. However, Krishnankutty dismissed the allegations and denied that the voice in the clip was his. He suggested that the audio might be an AI-generated deepfake. He said he would pursue legal action and demanded a scientific audit of the audio clip to expose what he terms a ‘malicious forgery' intended to sway the election results. "This is a politically motivated move to tarnish Thomas's reputation before the elections," the minister stated. He further questioned why Kuzhalnadan never raised these concerns in the assembly if he believed the floods were man-made, especially since IIT Madras experts had already investigated the matter. Krishnankutty also dismissed the credibility of Prabhat, stating that he was never a staff member but a disgruntled individual who left the party after being denied undue favours. Meanwhile, Thomas, LDF candidate from Thiruvalla, termed the allegations baseless, asserting that there was no delay in opening the spillway shutters. He too pointed to reports from IIT Madras and Central Water Commission, which concluded that the 2018 floods were the result of unprecedented, extreme rainfall rather than dam mismanagement.