Rain

Despite the suffering caused to lakhs of people by the rains and floods, Tamil Nadu's main political parties are interested more in politicking than in uniting to launch relief operations on a war footing.

AN unfortunate aspect of the ongoing flood relief operations in Tamil Nadu is the marginal presence of the political establishment, when compared with similar situations in the past. Political activists of all hues, social workers and community leaders used to rise above divisive considerations to supplement the government's efforts in providing succour to the victims.

In fact, mutts, trade and industrial houses and workers' unions used to join hands to help the ground-level relief operations before. This time round, however, few of these groups are visible on the scene. Except for activists of the Left parties and their mass organisations and those of some constituents of the Sangh Parivar. The presence of political parties is confined mostly to occasional visits by leaders to the affected areas. The atmosphere of hostility between the two principal parties in the State is said to have deterred many sections of people from playing any significant role: they are unwilling to displease either of the rival contestants for power, particularly when elections are only months away. Even a semblance of the united action that was evident after the tsunami struck the State in December 2004 is not visible this time.

Observers feel that aggressively competitive politics, which has become an inalienable part of democratic governance in the State for well over three decades now, is the reason for the situation. With the ruling party and the Opposition alliance always at each other's throat, cynicism and suspicion reign supreme. Thus, united action, even for limited purposes, has become unthinkable.

Right from the second week of October, when the first spell of monsoon rain battered Chennai and other places, leaders of the principal Opposition party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), have been criticising the State government for "inadequate" relief operations and accusing it of "mismanagement". While the television channels run by a family close to the party kept the momentum through its news bulletins that sought to highlight "local people's protests" against "tardy relief measures", a channel run by a family close to the ruling party sought to counter the allegations with exaggerated accounts of relief work.

The November 25 appeal by the Opposition Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) to the Centre to sanction whatever money the State government sought to tide over the situation raised hopes of a united action. (The DPA is part of the United Progressive Alliance, which runs the Central government.) But the response of the UPA government was not encouraging. That led to a fresh exchange of charges and counter-charges. The State government demanded Rs.13,685 crores as Central assistance towards relief and rehabilitation, after assessing the damage caused by the four spells of rain that affected 22 of the 30 districts and lakhs of people. It also pressed for an immediate release of Rs.3,000 crores as an advance in order to sustain the relief measures.

In addition, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa sought 2.58 tonnes of rice and 43,200 litres of kerosene. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram made an aerial survey of the affected areas. Two Central teams visited the flood-affected districts and made their own assessment of the loss. The members of the teams and also a couple of Union Ministers, who were on routine visits to the State, spoke appreciatively of the relief work. Despite this, the Centre announced an advance of a mere Rs.500 crores.

An unhappy Jayalalithaa said that considering the extent of damage caused, the Centre's allocation was "not sufficient at all". She said: "I have visited most of the badly affected areas. Central teams have come here twice and surveyed all the affected places. The President [A.P.J. Abdul Kalam] has also made an aerial survey. The President and the Central teams have themselves seen the havoc wrought by the floods. The Central team is yet to submit its final report to the Central government." She also said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured her over the phone that all possible assistance would be extended to the State.

The Centre's response to the charge of inadequate release of fund is that it has asked for more details from the State government and is awaiting a reply.

The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has warned of an agitation if the Centre fails to extend more assistance. Party vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu suggested that the Centre relax the rules governing the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) to provide assistance to the flood-affected State. He said that the present rules were framed keeping drought in mind. "While only crops are lost during a drought, the damage on account of floods is much wider - not just crops, but investment and properties," he said.

The Chief Minister wanted DMK president M. Karunanidhi "to use his influence with the Union government" to get the full amount sought by the State.

Jayalalithaa said that the Centre had not given the Rs.9,800 crores that the State had asked for to carry out relief, restoration and rehabilitation works in the tsunami-affected areas. She said that it had given only Rs.679.61 crores, against the State government's allocation of Rs.872.62 crores for the purpose.

In turn, Karunanidhi wanted the Chief Minister to expedite the furnishing of the particulars the Centre had asked for. A few State-level parties have appealed to the Union Ministers to put pressure on the Centre in this respect.

In a bid to break the ice, perhaps, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has told the Chief Minister that it is prepared "to coordinate with the government" in carrying out relief work. The party's State secretary, N. Varadarajan, told a press conference in Chennai on December 7 that an unprecedented situation was prevailing in the State where lakhs of people, especially agricultural workers and Dalits, were virtually on the streets as they had lost all their belongings in the floods. "At this juncture," he said, it was the duty of all political parties to sink their differences and come to their rescue. Expressing his happiness over the Chief Minister's readiness to meet the Prime Minister, Varadarajan said that his party was ready to join an all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister. He wanted the Chief Minister to convene an all-party conference to apprise the Opposition leaders of the relief and rehabilitation efforts of her government.

Dalit Panthers of India general secretary Thol. Thirumavalavan has also urged the Chief Minister to convene an all-party conference. He wanted the Centre to treat the Tamil Nadu floods as a national disaster and extend all assistance to the State.