SULTHAN BATHERY (WAYANAD): “The system forced me into the NDA bandwagon and I did not join it on my own volition,” according to C.K. Janu, BDJS-NDA candidate of Sulthan Bathery. The pro-UDF constituency is witnessing a triangular fight with her entry into the fray. The Janadhipathya Rashtreeya Sabha, the new party formed by Janu, is a constituent of Bharatheeya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) floated by SNDP Yogam leader Vellappally Natesan.
Janu told DC on Friday that the two political fronts in the state were responsible for her shift to the NDA. “I never dreamt of contesting as an NDA candidate. But no other political fronts recognized us,” she added. Her only aim is to ensure a better political space for tribal communities in the state.
“Both the fronts had earlier given us some sops but never resolved the issues of the landless. Only elite tribal leaders who were ready to compromise were promoted by the fronts. Till date we were kept out of decision-making and the mainstream political leaders constituted by other elite communities decided our fate according to their whims and fancies. I do not bother about my image or personal benefits, but wanted a political dialogue and political space for the tribal communities,” she said.
“Now everybody refers to me as a traitor. But they were not ready to recognise us as a political force,” she said referring to her attempts to get a UDF berth in the earlier elections. The NDA camp is upbeat about her candidature. The BJP leadership has pumped in a lot of money into the constituency and claims that Janu would win.
But UDF sitting MLA I.C. Balakrishnan laughs at her tall claims saying he had won the constituency with a margin of over 7,000 votes as a novice. “In the last five years, I have dedicated myself to the cause of the people and I feel there would be a better result,” he added.
The LDF camp also is hopeful. CPM candidate Rugmini Bhaskaran said that there was a sea change in the farmer settlements which were traditional UDF supporters. The fall in crop prices and the government’s failure in addressing the drought have antagonized the voters, she said.
