'Centre playing politics over floods'

By Our Special Correspondent

CALCUTTA, SEPT. 28. The Congress(I) president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, today supported West Bengal's ruling communists when she criticised the BJP-run Centre for not declaring the Bengal floods as ``a national disaster.''

Mrs. Gandhi told newspersons here that the NDA Government had reacted similarly during last year's super-cyclone in Orissa refusing to declare it as ``a national calamity. ''The Vajpayee Government is not acting in a responsible fashion. The Government is playing politics,`` she commented.

Mrs. Gandhi flew into the city this morning to make an aerial survey of the flood-hit districts to assess the extent of damage first-hand. ''The situation is grim.``

She told the state Congress functionaries to involve themselves in the relief operations. The Congress-run governments would supplement the Jyoti Basu Government's efforts in reaching relief to the affected people, she said.

PTI reports:

A high tide in the Hooghly measuring 6.27 metres broke an embankment in the south-west part of the metropolis and flooded new areas during the small hours today as a fresh red alert was sounded for a more severe tide during the day.

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