The three-way war between the two factions of the AIADMK and the DMK is expected to reach new heights as Tamil Nadu will observe a dawn to dusk ‘bandh’ on Tuesday called by the Opposition parties to express solidarity with the farmers of the State who are facing crop failures and cash crunch.
While the two factions of the AIADMK, led by Chief Minister Edappadi Planiswamy and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam respectively are fighting for the ‘Two leaves’ symbol and the control of the legacy of late party supremo J Jayalalithaa, the DMK-led Opposition parties are trying to extract maximum political mileage from the internecine war being fought in the AIADMK.
The DMK-led alliance which include the Congress, the Islamic parties and Puthiya Tamilakam (which claims to represent the Dalits) got a shot in the arm with the decision of the CPI, the CPI(M) and the VCK (another Dalit outfit) to actively participate in the bandh on Tuesday. The DMK hopes it could convince the people of Tamil Nadu that it is the only political party capable of addressing the issues faced by the farmers. Even traders who had initially rejected the bandh call have made it known that they would down shutters on Tuesday.
Kattumannarkoil Kannan, vice-president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, the biggest collective of Tamil Nadu farmers, said that the EPS Government was doing whatever it could to save the farmers from the crisis. “Our suggestion to desilt the 12 acre Periyakulam tank has been immediately taken up by the government. How can you agitate against Karnataka which itself is facing an agrarian crisis due to sever water shortageIJ” asked Kannan
The Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu, which includes five districts, are experiencing an unprecedented draught due to failed monsoon and the non-availability of Cauvery water. Karnataka is undergoing one of the worst water shortages of recent times and has expressed its helplessness to release even drinking water to Tamil Nadu as per the award announced by the Cauvery River Water Tribunal in 2007.
The Opposition claims that more than 350 farmers have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu due to crop failure over the last one year. But this is an exaggerated figure though there were a couple of suicides reported from different parts of the State. The Opposition ire is directed towards Karnataka whom they blame for not abiding by the CRWDT award.
But no opposition leader is forcing the AIADMK Government to take up the construction of desalination plants along the Tamil Nadu coast which has been found to be effective in resolving the water shortage in the State. Senior BJP leader Subramania Swamy had written to Chief Minister Edappadl Palaniswamy offering his help and guidance in setting up desalination plants along the Tamil Nadu coast. But the Government is yet to respond to the proposal by Swamy though AY Dangore, senior scientist of the Atomic Energy Commission had said that the desalination plants would help Tamil Nadu in addressing the water crisis.
The DMK is hoping to make hay while the two factions of the AIADMK are fighting it out in the open. MK Stalin, the party leader, hopes that by forming a grand alliance he may be able to snatch an electoral victory which has been eluding the DMK since 2011. The Opposition is living up to the name of a book authored by Palagummi Sainath, ‘Everybody loves a Good Draught’.