‘More Important To Chase Away Elephants Than Welcoming Rahul Gandhi’: Wayanad Tribals

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency of Kerala, which the Congress President Rahul Gandhi has chosen as the second seat for contesting parliamentary elections along with Amethi, has a large population of tribals.

However, the tribal people of the area remain oblivious to Congress chief’s move to go down south, saying that their priority issues are food, shelter and fighting elephant attacks, reports News18.

According to the report, around 18 per cent of the population of the Wayanad district comprises of tribal people. Sultan Bathery and Mananthavadi are the two assembly segments of the parliamentary constituency which are reserved for the tribals.

"We don't have shelters or good habitation. There are no roads, no proper drinking water. We do not have much hope in them (politicians)," a tribal man living in the forests of Wayanad was quoted in the report as saying.

As per the report, a tribal woman said that their main issue is fighting elephant attacks. "We face problems due to attacks by elephants at our homes inside the forest. We won't cast vote this time. There is no use of participating in elections," she said, as reported by News18.

The area is reportedly home to tribals for centuries and the ethnic groups they belong to are Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas and Kattunaikkans.