Changing stance

Kerala Agriculture was in Delhi to apprise the central government of the drought situation

Kerala Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar was in Delhi to apprise the central government of the drought situation in Kerala. He thought it would be a good gesture to meet farmers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, who were protesting at Jantar Mantar. After a brief interaction with the protesters and expressing solidarity with them, Sunil Kumar answered questions from the media. A googly came up, when someone asked of the state’s filing in the Supreme Court on Kerala’s plans to build check dams on rivers flowing into Tamil Nadu, which is a cause for worry for farmers in that state. A surprised Kumar deftly adjusted his shot, blaming the sand mafia and mining mafia for the ills of farmers.