‘T.N. farmers should stage demonstration in Chennai to draw attention of State govt.’

Anbumani Ramadoss urges Tamil Nadu farmers to protest in Chennai, demanding fulfillment of long pending demands from State government.

Farmers in Tamil Nadu should come together to stage a massive demonstration in the city, similar to the ones organised by farmers from Punjab and Haryana in Delhi, to draw the attention of the State government, which failed to fulfil their long pending demands, said Pattali Makkal Katchi president Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday.

Speaking at the Tamil Nadu Uzhavar Periyakkam State conference in Tiruvannamalai, he alleged that the ruling DMK government was working in favour of capitalists. “Farmers should intensify their protests and come together to march towards Chennai. The DMK government is ignorant has no knowledge of the plight of farmers in the State. It had invoked the Goondas Act against farmers who opposed the Cheyyar SIPCOT expansion. The DMK thinks that by giving ₹1,000 to women, people will vote for them.”

He further demanded to know why the State government disbursed just ₹2,000 to the families affected by Cyclone Fengal in Villupuram and Cuddalore districts, when it disbursed ₹6,000 to flood-affected families in Chennai and southern districts last year.

The conference passed 45 resolutions. The demands include the withdrawal of Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation (Special Projects) Act, 2023; increase in the income support for farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000; formation of a committee headed by a Madras High Court judge to examine the problems faced by farmers and recommend solutions to the State government.

Some of the other resolutions press for a subsidy to remove invasive Prosopis juliflora from farm lands, distribution of groundnut and coconut oil through PDS outlets, an act to guarantee procurement price for all agricultural products and disburse ₹10,000 per acre as input subsidy to farmers, constitution of a separate board to rejuvenate waterbodies under encroachment, construction of at least 25 check dams across River Palar, permanent closure of sand quarries in Cauvery and Kollidam Rivers and increasing the extent of protected special agriculture zone in Cauvery delta districts.