India may turn down an offer of Rs 700 crore from the United Arab Emirates for flood relief work in Kerala because of a 15-year-old convention on accepting foreign aid, The Hindu reported quoting unidentified officials. The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to announce its stance on the matter.

There are also reports claiming Thailand’s offer of assistance and aid was rejected.

On August 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced an assistance of Rs 500 crore. On Monday, the Centre declared the floods in Kerala a “calamity of severe nature”. At least 223 people have lost their lives in the rains, floods and landslides in the state since August 8 and more than 360 people since May 29.

Modi tweeted thanking UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his “gracious offer” to help the people of Kerala. “His [Maktoum] concern reflects the special ties between governments and people of India and UAE,” the prime minister had said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government will say “thank you but no thank you” as internal resources will be utilised for the relief operations, The Times of India quoted an unidentified official as saying. The government will continue to accept private contributions.

Unidentified government officials cited former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s decision to reject offers of foreign assistance after a tsunami struck the southern eastern coast in 2004. “We are following the policy since 2004, and have been turning down assistance from foreign governments since then. In Kerala also, we are sticking to that policy,” The Indian Express quoted an unidentified official as saying.

In 2004, Singh had reportedly said, “We feel that we can cope with the situation on our own and we will take their help if needed.”

‘UAE can’t be considered as any other nation’

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that the UAE proposed the financial assistance on its own. “The UAE cannot be considered as any other nation, as their rulers have underlined,” he told The Indian Express. “Indians, especially Keralites, have contributed immensely in their nation building.” On being asked if he would take up the matter with Modi, Vijayan said, “Let’s see.”

On Tuesday, Vijayan had tweeted about the UAE’s offer and expressed his gratitude. “Kerala has a special relationship with UAE, which is a home away from home for Malayalees,” Vijayan tweeted while adding that Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan had communicated the offer to Modi.

“The people of Kerala have always been and are still part of our success story,” UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum had tweeted on August 18. He said that UAE had formed a committee to begin offering relief to those who were affected.

Vijayan added that the state government would focus on building a new Kerala, instead of rehabilitating with an aim to simply replacing former structures, reported The Indian Express. “We will have comprehensive planning, we will bring expertise from different nooks and corners, and a concrete plan will be executed,” he said.