CM Pinarayi Vijayan informed that the United Arab Emirates will provide Kerala an assistance of ₹700 Crore. Kerala… https://t.co/avXls0zeCo — CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) 1534856109000

NEW DELHI: The controversy surrounding UAE's reported Rs 700-crore aid for Kerala floods deepened on Friday when the Gulf nation denied having made any such offer even as chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed there was no lack of clarity on the aid.Vijayan also expressed hope that the Centre would accept the "offer".Earlier today, officials at the UAE embassy in New Delhi said the UAE had not officially announced any financial aid for Kerala flood relief.Vijayan said NRI businessman M A Yusuff Ali had informed him about the aid."When I asked him whether it could be made public, he said there is no problem in it," the chief minister told reporters after a meeting to review the post-flood situation and relief operations.The UAE aid was communicated to Ali when he had met the crown prince to convey Bakrid greetings, Vijayan said.Vijayan said the issue whether or not to accept the aid was a matter to be decided by the Centre."I hope that this will be accepted," Vijayan said replying to a question on the row.There was no lack of clarity on the UAE aid to Kerala, he added.The chief minister said he had nothing more to add to what he had stated on August 21 about the aid and added it was a matter discussed by Crown Prince of UAE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Syed Al Nahian and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Both had informed the world about the aid issue, the chief minister claimed. However, neither PM Modi nor any UAE official has tweeted about Rs 700-crore financial assistance to Kerala for flood relief.On August 21, when the southern Indian state was battling one of the worst floods in its history, the state CMO, in a tweet, said that the CM has been "informed" that the UAE will provide an assistance of Rs 700 crore for the flood-affected Kerala.In the same thread, the CMO wrote - "This was communicated to the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan (@MohamedBinZayed), Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE's Armed Forces," and tagged the respective offices of PM Modi and the Crown Prince.It was here that the CMO announced that the offer of assistance was brought to the CM's notice by Yusuf Ali.The issue of UAE aid had triggered a row, with the Centre deciding not to accept the foreign aid for relief work, even as the ruling CPI-M led LDF and the Congress in Kerala came out against the government's move.Officials in UAE embassy in New Delhi said no specific amount for financial aid to flood-ravaged Kerala was finalised officially by the United Arab Emirates and there was no announcement on donation to the state.The Gulf nation may come out with its plan in the next few days to extend assistance to flood victims, an official said.