Kannur: The Forest Conservation Act is not above the Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, said Congress General Secretary and MP from Alappuzha K C Venugopal.

He called Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led government "the harbinger of death for the people of the highlands" for "standing by helplessly and irresponsibly" when people are being killed and maimed by wild animals. "We are not against wildlife. We don't believe that the lives of animals are greater than the lives of humans either," he said.

People of the highlands are losing their right to live, he said. "They are living in the fear of death. Losing sleep over fear of death is more tormenting than death itself," he said.

He was speaking at the launch of the United Democratic Front's Malayoram Samara Pracharna Yatra (Highland Protest Campaign March) at Karuvanchal in Naduvil grama panchayat, part of the Irikkur assembly segment in Kannur, on Saturday.

The 10-day campaign, led by Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, aims to engage with residents of hill panchayats, highlight their concerns — particularly the rising wild animal attacks — and conclude at Amburi in Thiruvananthapuram on February 5.

"Governments that stand by helplessly and irresponsibly while people are killed by wild animals are the epitome of being anti-people," he said. UDF leaders, including V D Satheesan, said that 1,000 people were killed and 8,000 people were injured in wild animal attacks in the past eight years of the LDF government.

Radha, a tribeswoman from Wayanad, was killed by a tiger on Thursday. UDF leaders paid floral tributes at the memorial of Radha before the inaugural event of the Malayoram Samara Pracharna Yatra.

When the Opposition raises the issues of the hill panchayat in the Assembly, the Minister for Forest A K Saseendran trivialises them with his answers, said Venugopal. The minister said the number of wild animal attacks is declining and asked if elephants were raiding crops because he was the minister.

The Congress leader then asked if Pinarayi Vijayan was man enough to convene a meeting with the opposition leaders to devise a creative solution to the man-animal conflict.

"But the fundamental question is what is the stance of the government when people are being brutally killed," he said. If Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin can bring out an order allowing the killing of wild boars raiding crops, why cannot Pinarayi Vijayan do the same, he asked.

Not only the killings, but the government is also unwilling to revise the area covered under the buffer zone. Venugopal said that the current 1 km buffer zone from the forest includes human settlements and places of worship.
"Whether it is revising the buffer zone, protecting people from wild animals, or addressing the issues of rubber growers, in which area has this government taken any decisive action to help the people of the highlands?" he said and added: "Pinarayi Vijayan's government has become the harbinger of death for the people of the highlands".

The LDF government has temporarily withdrawn the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill 2024 but it was done out of fear of a backlash, said Venugopal. "But the Bill exposed the intention of the government. It was against the farmers of the highlands," he said.

Though Venugopal said Satheesan's campaign is not political or to bring down any government, the UDF is expecting to galvanise its supporters, especially in the hill panchayats, ahead of the local body election later this year and the Assembly election in 2025.

The UDF's campaign has a three-point demand: prevent wild animal attacks, remove the 1-km buffer zone limit and ensure fair prices for agricultural produce. "The issues of the people of the hill panchayat should be Kerala's priority no. 1," said Satheesan.

He said the yatra is a results-oriented campaign. "With the knowledge gained from the campaign, we will give the government a concrete proposal. If it is not ready to implement it, the UDF will implement it (when it comes to power)," he said.

Ten days after the UDF announced the campaign through the hill panchayats, the government withdrew the Kerala Forest Amendment Bill, he said. "That was the first victory of the campaign," he said.

Satheesan said Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were relying on modern technology to confine wild animals to the forest. "But the Kerala government has not even enquired about these technologies," he said.

Satheesan shared that when he visited the home of Ajeesh Joseph Panachiyil, who was trampled to death by a radio-collared elephant in Wayanad, his heart was broken. "Ajeesh's young daughter, who must be in Class IV or V, said, 'I’ve become an orphan. What will you do to ensure no other child becomes an orphan?'" the Congress leader said.

The inaugural event had leaders of all UDF constituents.

P K Kunhalikutty
IUML National Secretary P K Kunhalikutty blasted the government for ignoring the concerns of the people of the hill panchayats. "When we raise these issues in the Assembly, the government has an air of detachment around it," he said.

K Sudhakaran
Congress state president K Sudhakaran called the Chief Minister a 'kondan' (foolish person) and said he was ruling the state for his wife and children. He then said when he was the Forest Minister, he tried solar fench, trenches filled with water, and walls. Elephants overcame all the hurdles and the menace is continuing.

Anoop Jacob
Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader and MLA from Piravom Anoop Joseph criticised the government for not being creative in tackling the man-animal conflict.

M M Hassan
UDF convenor and senior Congress leader M M Hassan said man-animal conflict is the wrong term. "Here, wild animals are attacking humans," he said.

C P John
Communist Marxist Party General Secretary C P John said Section 100 of the now repealed Indian Penal Code (or Section 90 of BNS) gave people the right of self-defence which can be exercised by the people of hill panchayats. "The government has violated the social contract with the people by not protecting their lives," he said.

Mani C Kappan
The helplessness of the government will ensure that Pinarayi Vijayan's government will be the last communist government in India, said M C Kappan, Pala MLA and leader of Kerala Democratic Party.

A N Rajan Babu
Janathipathya Samrakshna Samithi (JSS) leader A N Rajan Babu said the UDF's campaign is not all about criticising the government. "We have solutions such as solar-powered fencing and elephant-poof trenches to offer the government," he said.

T Manoj Kumar
The All India Forward Bloc state general secretary T Manoj Kumar said the UDF was starting the campaign before the blood of Radha dried. "At a time when the people of hill panchayats are not able to sleep, the UDF is taking out this campaign by promising them peace of mind," he said. Former MLA P V Anvar said he would join the yatra when it reaches Nilambur.

Campaign route
The UDF's Malayoram Samara Pracharna Yatra, led by Satheesan, will pass through Irikkur, Aralam, and Kottiyoor in Kannur; Mananthavady, Sultan Bathery, and Meppadi in Wayanad district; Kodanchery in Kozhikode district; Nilambur, Karuvarakundu, and Mannarkkad in Palakkad district; Athirapally in Thrissur district;  Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district; Adimali, Cheruthoni and Kumily in Idukki district; Mundakayam in Kottayam district; Chittar in Pathanamthitta district; Piravanthoor-Alimukku near Pathanapuram in Kollam district; and Pallod and Amburi in Thiruvananthapuram. Most of these areas have a strong presence of Kerala Congress (Mani), which is now with the LDF.