E-Paper
TN farmers seek a vote for water
The two major political fronts in Tamil Nadu are worried after farmers? associations announced their decision to field candidates to highlight the failure of successive governments to solve the water problem.
The two major political fronts in Tamil Nadu are worried after farmers’ associations announced their decision to field candidates to highlight the failure of successive governments to solve the water problem.
Leading the movement for these ‘water candidates’ are farmers of Modakurichi, who had staged a similar electoral protest in 1996 by fielding 1,028 candidates in the assembly elections with a 33-point demand. The Election Commission had to postpone the polls in Modakurichi as a result. Ultimately most of the candidates withdrew, after which elections were held.
“No politician seems to have learnt a lesson from that 1996 experience. So our association has decided to field our own man in the Tiruchengode Lok Sabha seat who’ll simply go by the name of water candidate. His real name and address can be found only in his nomination papers,” said S. Nallasami, secretary of the TN Farmers Federation.
The water candidate’s chance of winning may be slim, Nallasami admits, but the aim is to educate public opinion on the issue of water. “Every vote we poll will be a slap on the face every political party that is contesting this election. It is aimed at telling the voters that the professional politician has failed us,” he said. The federation is trying to convince Lakshmikantha Bharathi, a retired IAS officer who is a full-time farmer now, to contest as the water candidate in Tiruchengode.
The ruling AIADMK feels that even if the protest is merely symbolic it will only show its government up. More worried is the DMK candidate, Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, who won the assembly seat in 1996. She fears that the water candidate could divide the anti-establishment votes, which would otherwise come to her.
Enthused by the response among the farming community for his idea, Nallasami is planning to travel in throughout the state to convince other farmers associations to come up with their water candidates as well.
