Athikadavu struggle committee not to support any party

Tirupur: The Federation of Struggle Committee for Athikadavu-Avinashi Drinking Water Supply and Groundwater Recharge Scheme has decided not to support any political party in the Lok Sabha election.
The decision came after some of its co-ordinators unilaterally offered support to AIADMK alliance in an election rally recently held in Perundurai.

Farmers in at least six taluks in Tirupur, Coimbatore and Erode districts had been demanding the Athikadavu-Avinashi water scheme for more than 60 years and had lost hope in successive governments as they were severely affected by drought and depletion of groundwater. After years of struggle, AIADMK government laid foundation stone for the project just before the declaration of the general election.

“Two weeks ago, we conducted a meeting, which was attended by most of the active members of the federation in Avinashi. Some people said that since AIADMK government has allocated funds and been executing the project, the federation should support AIADMK alliance in the election. But at last, the federation decided not to support any political party,” said a key member.

“The federation has members, who support different political parties. We all collectively decided to stay neutral since the project could be achieved only because of the people’s movement. We have eight co-ordinators. But recently, two co-ordinators, who personally support AIADMK, participated in an election campaign in Perundurai. They had offered support for AIADMK. It was an unfortunate incident. A video footage of their speech in the election campaign has gone viral in social media. Many members and farmers have condemned their act. So, the federation held an emergency meeting in Avinashi and declared openly that it was not supporting any political party,” he added.