Keen to consolidate its support base across Central Travancore ahead of the upcoming Parliament elections, the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] is now raising the pitch for addressing the concerns of settler farmers.
As part of it, the regional party is organising a popular convention at Mundakkayam on Thursday to highlight the issues faced by the community. Plans are also afoot to submit a massive petition to the Union government demanding to amend the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
According to Sebastian Kulathungal, a KC(M) legislator, the event aims at convincing the Union government on the need for legal reforms by considering that the population of wild animals in Kerala’s forest is five times higher than the actual carrying capacity.
“The key demands to be raised during the convention include enabling the farmers to kill the crop-raiding wild animals, adoption of artificial birth control methods to regulate wildlife population, and allowing of regulated hunting of animals. It will also seek to declare a human-sensitive zone along the forest boundaries and establish a tribunal to provide compensation for losses caused by wildlife attacks,’’ he said.
Using the platform, the party also looks to reach out to the various organisations working for settler farmers.
The latest move comes even as the Catholic church, which holds a considerable sway in the region, has adopted a rather outspoken communication strategy to express its displeasure to the State government over various issues concerning the settler farmers.
“Having set its eyes on one more Lok Sabha seat in Central Travancore, the KC(M) now has no other options but to surf this wave of raging anger. The convention at Mundakkayam, a place where the catholic church had organised a massive farmer protest last year, is an attempt to reinvigorate its long-espoused strategy of pro-farmer politics,’’ observed a veteran Kerala Congress leader.
