KOZHIKODE: CPM is in a fix as the women's indefinite hunger strike before the forest office gathers momentum by the day. The party had backed out from the all-party action council of Vadakkanadu village in Wayanad against elephant raids. The farmers had also staged a hunger strike before Wayanad wildlife warden's office for many weeks. Now political parties and social groups are marching in support of the women putting CPM on the backfoot.
The ruling party has now started a counter campaign claiming it left the action council because of politicisation. It also organised meetings in the village warning party men and farmers against participating in the agitation. The Vadakkanadu Grama Samrakshana Samithy ended the hunger strike on March 16 after the government promised to capture and rehabilitate the rogue elephant and scare away the herd.
On Monday, two women, Vijaya Narayanan and Jyothi Suresh, started a hunger strike, resuming their protests. Action council chairman Fr Joby Mukkattu Kavungal said the people who know the truth would foil attempts by some political camps to get farmers divided. "It's a genuine issue of farmers, and any attempt to oppose the agitation will result in isolating them," he told DC. Earlier action council had enjoyed the backing of the entire people from some 2,000 households.
