A recent protest march taken out in Pathanapuram town in Kerala’s Kollam district had an interesting participant—a sturdy, black bull. It was a war of words between legislator KB Ganesh Kumar and members of the Youth Congress, in connection with a proposed sewage treatment plant, that led to the latter marching to the MLA’s office along with the bull on Wednesday, January 18. While party workers marched on foot from the town’s Central junction, the bull was carried in a pick-up van. The protesters were stopped at Hospital junction by the police, before they could reach the MLA’s office.
The ‘bull-fight’ began at another protest held a few days ago by the Youth Congress against a move to construct the district’s sewage treatment plant in Pattazhi grama panchayat of Pathanapuram taluk. Speaking on the occasion, Kerala Students Union (KSU) leader Yadu Krishnan MK said that if MLA Ganesh Kumar is unable to act on the issue, it is better for him to find a job of bathing bulls. The MLA retorted with, “It is not easy to get bulls. If the person who suggested that would bend down, I would give him a bath instead.”
It was in retaliation to the MLA’s statement that the Youth Congress held a protest march involving the bull. They raised slogans saying that they have brought a bull for the MLA to bathe. During the protest, Youth Congress workers clarified that Yadu Krishnan was only questioning the MLA for not taking any steps in the sewage treatment plant issue. They said that the reply from the MLA was, however, derogatory in nature.
“MLA Ganesh Kumar did not do anything for the renovation of Taluk Hospital in Pathanapuram. The roads in Pathanapuram are all in poor condition. Anganwadi buildings too are in a pathetic state. Now they are planning a sewage waste treatment plant in Pattazhi, in front of a temple. So we were saying that if he can not work for the constituency, he should probably turn to bathing bulls instead of being an MLA. What is wrong with that? The MLA cannot blurt out anything he wants,” said advocate M Saju Khan, Youth Congress state secretary, while addressing the protest.
The move to build a sewage treatment plant in Pattazhi of Kollam district has received widespread protest. On Thursday, January 19, BJP workers had protested in the area by carrying a water closet.
