DMK government failed to do any good for farmers: Edappadi Palaniswami

Edappadi K. Palaniswami accuses DMK government of neglecting farmers and failing to fulfill promises, urges action in upcoming elections.

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday, January 28, 2024 accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of seeing the farmers as an enemy and failed to do anything for their welfare. The government had also failed to take any steps to get the due share of Cauvery water meant for Tamil Nadu, Mr. Palaniswami claimed. 

Addressing party functionaries at Vallam and Sengipatti in Thanjavur district, Mr. Palaniswami said the DMK, which had come to power by giving “attractive” promises in the run up to the 2021 assembly elections, had failed to implement them in the last two years and eight months.

By implementing only a few of those promises, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was trying to cover up by claiming that his Dravida model governance had implemented the poll promises completely, Mr. Palaniswami said. The State government, in the last two years of its rule had pursued the agenda of “looting” the State, he alleged and accused Chief Minister Stalin of going abroad with the intention of investing the “looted money” and not for attracting industrial investments to Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Palaniswami said the crops raised by nearly three lakh farmers in the delta region had withered due to shortage of water this year. The farmers could not get compensation through the crop insurance scheme. The government had failed to get the due share of Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu by holding talks with the Centre and the Karnataka government.

Had the government got the due share of water to Tamil Nadu, it would have enabled the farmers in making a good harvest. It had also failed to provide compensation to the farmers whose samba crops were destroyed due to sudden heavy rains, he further said.

Alleging that the government had not implemented any scheme for the welfare of the farmers, Mr. Palaniswami said the farmers were unable to get three-phase power supply now. The farmers were taking up farming activity amid fear as to when the supply of power would be provided and when it would go off.

The government had also given up the ‘kudimaramathu’ scheme of dredging water bodies to store water for irrigation and to meet the drinking water needs.