NAMAKKAL: Lack of public support and the poor response of the government have pushed the head of TN Toddy Movement (TNTM) to think of wrapping up the pro-toddy tapping organization well before the next Assembly elections.
TNTM has been demanding the government to allow toddy tapping but the political parties, particularly the Dravidian majors, seemed to have ignored the demand.
"We have been in the forefront seeking to lift the ban on toddy tapping and marketing. However, both the major Dravidian parties, AIADMK and the DMK have failed to respond positively," rued C Nallusamy, coordinator of TNTM.
The DMK chief M Karunanidhi offered an olive branch during his tenure as Chief Minister in 2006-11 by constituting a panel headed by Justice KP Sivasubramaniam to look into the issues concerning toddy tapping. However, the DMK government did not release the panel report till it was thrown out of power in 2011, Nallusamy said.
Nallusamy referred to the stand of the present Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as profoundly disappointing as she did not fulfill her poll promise of lifting the ban on toddy tapping, which would have helped the toddy tappers.
"Both the Chief Minister and the former Chief Minister did not take steps to lift the ban on toddy. So we are frustrated and have lost hope of the Government taking any positive step on the issue," he said.
Saying that a final battle for lifting the ban would be taken up in January next year, the farmers' activist said that if nothing was gained from the stir, the movement would be wrapped up.
He said, "If we cannot gain anything substantial through our protests which we intend to intiate in January next year, we will disband the organization."
However, Nallusamy issued a fresh appeal to the state government to study the way toddy-based drink 'Neera' is produced in Kerala and produce soft drinks based on toddy.
TNTM was set up in 2005 and since then it has been organising various protests demanding that the ban of toddy tapping be lifted in Tamil Nadu.