“Where in Wayanad Is There No Elephant Problem?”: Sunny Joseph on Mundakkai Disaster Victims’ Land Controversy

Thiruvananthapuram: KPCC President Sunny Joseph came up with an unusual response when questioned about the land purchased by the Congress in the name of victims of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala disaster. When asked whether the land was located in an area severely affected by wild elephant attacks, Sunny Joseph countered by asking, “Where in Wayanad is there no elephant problem? Haven’t elephants entered Bathery and Kalpetta as well?”

Similarly, when questioned about the land being on steep hill terrain, he avoided a direct answer by saying that “Isn’t Wayanad itself a hilly region?”

The Congress registered 3.24 acres of land known as ‘Vijaya Estate’ at Kunnambatta in Kottappady village, Meppadi Panchayat, on Tuesday, in the name of KPCC President Sunny Joseph. The land is a private plantation area severely affected by wild elephant attacks, where two workers were earlier killed in elephant-related incidents. Due to frequent elephant incursions, many had abandoned farming in the area.

Reports also point out that nearly one acre of the land is extremely steep, making it unsuitable for constructing houses. Critics allege that by acquiring such land in the name of disaster survivors, the Congress is pushing the victims into further hardship rather than offering meaningful rehabilitation.