Rameswaram: Over 50 villages in Ramnad to boycott' Lok Sabha election

Rameswaram: Voters in over 50 villages in Mudukulathur, Kadaladi and Kamudhi areas of arid Ramanathapuram district have declared to "boycott" the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, to protest the non-payment of crop insurance money to farmers who lost their crops due to two years of drought.

Posters to this effect have appeared on Tuesday in several of these villages, said some of the villagers from those affected blocks. The villages near Mudukulathur, which is a caste-sensitive block in Ramnad, include Enathi, Keezhachakulam, Melachakulam, Melamanangarai, Kadamangalam, Maravatti, Chithirangudi, Eraichikulam, SP.Kottai, among others, according to Mr. Muniyasamy, president of the 'Rama-nathapuram district Vayalaga Kootamaippu', which may be translated as a federation of local farmers.

The affected farmers said that with no rains for the last two years, their agriculture lands had gone dry and farmers had to suffer "heavy losses" as their entire crop was ruined due to the drought. They said despite repeated pleas from the tashildar right up to the district collector, seeking the crop insurance amount for the year 2017-18, so far no action has been taken by the authorities on their submissions. "Hence we have decided to boycott the coming Lok Sabha polls," said another farmer V K Krishnan of Keezhachakulam.