Cane farmers threaten poll boycott for arrears
According to the farmers, as their protest reached the 485th day on Thursday they decided to conduct a rally and surrender their EPICs to the Kumbakonam RDO as they had already declared to boycott the election.
TIRUCHY: The police on Thursday stopped the sugarcane farmers of the Thiru Arooran Sugar factory who attempted to rally towards the Kumbakonam RDO office and surrender their voter IDs in the view of boycotting Lok Sabha polls to protest against the pending dues.
According to the farmers, as their protest reached the 485th day on Thursday they decided to conduct a rally and surrender their EPICs to the Kumbakonam RDO as they had already declared to boycott the election.
As per the decision, on Thursday, the members led by the Sugarcane Farmers Association District president Naga Murugesan commenced their rally from the judges’ quarters and reached the Kumbakonam RDO office. However, they were stopped by the police and prevented from entering the office.
The police told the farmers to submit their petition and disperse from the spot as the MCC was in place and the huge gathering was restricted. This prompted a heated argument between the police and the farmers. Later, the farmers dropped the petition in the box and left the place.
The farmers said that they had been protesting for their demands since 2022 and had submitted a petition with several officials but they had not received any response. “We have been demanding to settle the pending dues and waive the loans availed by the factory administration in the name of the farmers due to which their CIBIL score has been declining and they were not able to avail any bank loans”, Murugesan said.
