COIMBATORE: TVK candidate P Sathyabama was forced to suspend her campaign in the Dharapuram assembly constituency after a group of farmers confronted her over water scarcity and the release of water from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) to the Uppar Dam.

The farmers surrounded Sathyabama’s campaign vehicle and questioned her over the water crisis, alleging that she had failed to safeguard the interests of farmers dependent on the PAP system.

A section of the protesters accused Sathyabama of exerting pressure on Water Resources Department officials to release water from the PAP system to the Uppar Dam, for political gain. The farmers opposed such a release, arguing that diverting water to Uppar Dam could affect irrigation supplies in parts of Coimbatore and Tirupur districts.

They maintained that only surplus water from the PAP system should be released to Uppar Dam and urged that the interests of farmers dependent on the project’s irrigation network be protected.

The protesters raised slogans against Sathyabama and questioned her return to the constituency to seek votes without resolving their long-standing concerns. As the protest intensified, Sathyabama attempted to defuse the situation from her campaign vehicle. She told the farmers that she would not take any step detrimental to the interests of PAP farmers.

“I only insisted on stringent action against water theft,” she said, while responding to the allegations.

The protesters, however, continued their opposition and demanded that she stop campaigning in the area. With tension mounting, police personnel intervened and attempted to pacify the protesters.

The situation remained tense for some time before Sathyabama eventually left the area, bringing her campaign programme to an end.

Sathyabama had earlier been elected MLA from Dharapuram on an AIADMK ticket. She subsequently resigned and joined the TVK.