The Hindu : Kerala News : Water crisis contenders' pet theme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 27, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Water crisis contenders' pet theme

By G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD, APRIL 26. The acute shortage water for drinking and irrigation and the resultant crisis in the agriculture sector are the key election issues in the Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency.

In the campaign, the three main contenders, the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, V.S. Vijayaraghavan, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate, N.N. Krishnadas and the National Democratic Front (NDA) candidate, C. Udayabhaskar, are raising local issues more than national ones.

The farmers are in dire straits owing to the failure of crops during the last two paddy seasons. The continuous drought has affected cash crops like coconut, pepper, coffee, cardamom and tea. Since Palakkad is the rice bowl of Kerala, a large number of farmers depend solely on paddy cultivation for their survival. But the drying up of the Bharathapuzha, the shortage of water in the Malampuzha dam and the failure to get 7.25 TMC of water from the inter-State Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) have adversely affected agriculture.

The agitation against the exploitation of natural resources, particularly that of groundwater by soft drink majors in Plachimada and Pudussery and the farmers' agitation in Chittur demanding PAP water are some of the key election issues here.

The crisis in the agriculture sector resulted in the suicide of 13 farmers in the district.

Mr. Krishnadas, who won the seat the last three times, told The Hindu that his campaign was mainly against the BJP's communal rule at the Centre. The last six years of BJP rule had divided the people along communal lines. This had affected the secular fabric of the country and it could not bear another term of BJP rule, he said.

Mr. Krishnadas said that the drought in the district was the creation of the State Government. Its failure to protect the Malampuzha water and to get the PAP water from Tamil Nadu had led to the present crisis.

During the last three years, the UDF Government had had no time to solve the problems of the people, but had engaged in infighting, he said.

Mr. Vijayaraghavan said that when he had represented Palakkad in the Lok Sabha three times earlier, he could bring about development in the industrial, telecommunication and tribal sectors. Many industries had been established at his initiative in the Kanjikode industrial area, which had made Palakkad the second biggest industrial centre of the State. But now most of them had been closed down, he said.

The Rs. 219-crore Japan-aided Attappady Hill Area Development Scheme had been sanctioned during his tenure as MP, Mr. Vijayaraghavan said. He alleged that the LDF candidate who had represented the constituency the last three terms could not bring in any major project. But Mr. Krishnadas said that he could get many railway projects for the area like the four overbridges in Palakkad town. The BJP candidate, Mr. Udayabhaskar, is seeking votes to convert this backward area into a developed area by creating infrastructure facilities and setting up industries.

He is seeking vote for enabling the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, to get another term. Many of the railway projects in Palakkad had been started when the BJP leader, O. Rajagopal, was holding the Railways portfolio, he said.

Though the BJP candidate is trying his best to make the contest a three-corned one, a close contest between the main contenders, the LDF and the UDF, is on the cards in Palakkad. Both of them are worried about the BJP's attempt to garner more votes. Whether the BJP will cut into their vote banks is an issue worrying them.

The UDF candidate said that in two of the four constituencies held by the front in the Assembly, in Mannarkkad and in Chittur, it would increase the tally to offset the lead the LDF used to get in Malampuzha and Alathur that helped Mr. Krishnadas win the seat with more than 30,000 votes last time.

But the LDF candidate said that he was getting more support from the farmers of Chittur and the tribals of Attappady to improve upon his earlier lead.

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