Elections for Wayanad's tribals mean hooch and rice!

Elections for Wayanad's tribals mean hooch and rice!

George Iype in Sulthan Bathery

Tribals in Kerala's Wayanad district have been longing for an election. Come elections, the poverty of tribals in this backward hilly district in northern Kerala disappears.

Politicians of all hues take over the tribal hamlets with sacks of rice, liquor bottles and even medicines, which the tribals only see during elections.

The lavishness of political parties towards an otherwise neglected people during elections has made the tribals contended. "We want elections every month," says Kuruchi Chemban, a tribal labourer in Vellamunda.

Vellamunda's 180 tribal families like the more than 200,000 tribal population spread across Wayanad are the prisoners of political parties as campaigning fever for the assembly elections in Kerala peaks.

"Tribals in Wayanad are a crucial vote bank. No political party wants to neglect them during elections. So at night, you would see workers of almost all parties going to the tribal villages with food, liquor and even money," says adivasi activist Kalan Mani.

Wayanad district accounts for 36 per cent of the Kerala's tribal population. It also has the largest number of unwed mothers among tribals. A recent survey by Namu, a tribal social organisation found that Wayanad has more than 500 unwed mothers.

But Namu convenor Chellan Pillai says it is not the plight of the unwed mothers or illegitimate children that is an election issue. "Political parties have conveniently forgotten the predicament of these hapless victims of exploitation. But the tribals are happy during elections because they get to eat decent food," Pillai points out.

Vellamunda is the best example of how politicians try to lure the tribal families. Every evening, hordes of Congress activists come with bags of eatables and liquor to the tribal elders. The Congress leaders want to ensure that the nearly 22,000 tribal electorate in the North Wayanad constituency vote for the party's candidate Radha Radhakrishnan.

The Left Democratic Party candidate K Saradha only the Congress is involved in "bribing the tribals".

"I do not resort to cheap tactics to get votes. Because Wayanad has a large tribal population, the Congress is supplying them cheap liquor to buy their votes," Saradha says.

Despite Saradha's claims, locals say, both the Congress and the Marxist leaders are involved.

In Meenangadi, the colony of the Paniya tribe, there are 270 huts. Last week, a dozen sacks of rice was supplied to them, according to the tribe's elder Velukkan. "They have also supplied us hooch. It is nice to be living during elections," Velukkan says adding that he and his eight-member family haven't eaten a rice meal in the past six months.

But though the tribals are happy with the supply of provisions they are also frightened. "We have been threatened by both the Congress and Marxists leaders that if we do not vote for them, they will destroy our huts," Velukkan reveals.

The local party leaders have also deployed dozens of thugs as watchmen outside the tribal colonies. The local keepers often attack members of rival parties. Last week, a number of Congress and Marxist workers were hospitalised when they came to blows outside the Paniya tribal colony in Meenangadi.

Social activist K N Sukumaran, who works among the tribal population of Wayanad, says, "It is criminal that these politicians who have not done anything for the welfare of tribals are supplying them with alcohol for votes," he said.

Sukumaran says though Kerala boasts of having the best medical facilities in rural arear, various diseases and malnutrition have made the tribals "the true victims of development."

According to estimates, malnutrition kills some 90 out of every 1,000 tribal infants. "Added to their sorry state is the fact that they do not possess any cultivable land. It is horrible that Kerala, which introduced land reforms first, is yet to give any piece of land to the tribals," Sukumaran points out.

Ironically, the tribals in Wayanad have been restored their lands by law, but they have not been given actual possession till date. Though a number of tribal groups have resorted to struggles for the land, no political party has sincerely supported their cause.

But the election campaigning has livened up tribal hamlets in villages like Thirunelli, Vellamunda, Panamaram, Noolpuzha, Nenmeni, Meenangadi and Pozhuthana in Wayanad. With the free flow of country-made liquor and an abundant supply of rice, the tribals will be happy till the elections are over.

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