Yatra: Advani ignores dry spell, angers Kerala

The National Democratic Alliance's 'India Shining' campaign looked good on television but when Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani goes about extolling the Vajpayee government's achievements he might well prepare for one question: Which part of India is he referring to?

When he resumed his Bharat Uday Yatra in Kerala on Thursday, what greeted him was not just cheering BJP workers but agitated farmers, soaring mercury and an angry state government.

Click here for the yatra route map

Kerala has been facing one of the worst dry spells during the last one month. Districts like Palakkad have been badly affected by a drought, which in February led to the state government ordering the Coca-Cola company to stop using ground water for its production.

Last week, Chief Minister A K Antony had met Advani in Delhi and requested Rs 1,359 crore towards drought relief and 200,000 tonnes of food grains for the state. But the day before Advani embarked on the yatra, the central government sanctioned only Rs 49 crore and 61,000 tones of rice.

The ruling Congress-led state government and the opposition Left parties slammed the drought relief as 'peanuts'. Worse, Advani upset Kerala politicians by not uttering s single word about the drought when he covered the state in the first leg of his yatra.

"It is the highest form of neglect. We do not understand why the Centre is showing this kind of indifference to the farmers' plight in Kerala," said Antony.

BJP leaders accompanying Advani were also unhappy that the deputy prime minister did not mention the drought in the state. "It is total mismanagement on the part of the party leadership. With the BJP-led government at the Centre treating Kerala like this, I don't know how to face our party workers," a senior BJP state leader said.

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He said the state leadership had specifically requested Advani to announce a series of financial incentives for the state much before the Model Code of Conduct came into force.

On Thursday, agitated farmers staged protest meets across Palakkad district shouting slogans against the yatra. "Who is interested in these kinds of political yatras when we are reeling under a severe drought? Will Advani give us water to drink and cultivate our crops," asked Ponnu Raghavan, a farmer in Palakkad.

He complained that the central government is partial to the needs of states like Andhra Pradesh or those in north India. "This discrimination towards the farmers of Kerala will prove harmful for the BJP's electoral prospects in the state," he added.

Naturally, the Congress and Left parties intend to rake up this issue in the campaigning for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP does not enjoy strong support in the state but such neglect will not help it improve its prospects either.

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