According to sources the picture of Kerala Finance minister Thomas Isaac atop a relief boat, holding a rescued infant in his arms, was one of the most moving images of the Kerala floods. Furthermore Isaac was amidst the waters in his constituency in Alappuzha, helping to coordinate rescue efforts.
Meanwhile Pinarayi Vijayan's press conferences have also helped soothe frayed nerves as well and they are calm affairs, devoid of theatrics of any kind and are both live telecast and live streamed, considering many areas did not have power supply. Moreover the Kerala chief minister's social media presence is also an important storehouse of information, designed to blunt the menace of fake news and rumors as well. Further the photographs showing the collector and sub-collector of Wayanad district unloading rice sacks from a relief truck by carrying them on their back, are proof of a zero white collar ego.
Accordingly if one isn't hearing complaints of official apathy and lack of
government help in this hour of extreme crisis in Kerala, the worst floods
since 1924, resulting in the death of over 300 people so far, it is because of
people like Isaac, Vijayan and the officials. Moreover Vijayan made it a point
to take along with him Ramesh Chennithala, Leader of the Opposition in Kerala,
on an aerial tour of flood affected districts, to send across the message that
there will be no politics over rescue and relief.
