Protesting actions on farmers, ryots threaten strike from January 1

TIRUCHY: After DMK coming to power, anti-farmer activities have been on the rise and farmers have decided to oppose this attitude through a series of protests against the State government and campaign from January 1, said PR Pandian, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Association on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the association’s meeting, Pandian said, farmers in the state have been facing several problems after DMK returned to power. The attacks on farmers have been increasing day by day and the government is keen to hand over agricultural land to corporate firms, he accused.

Pointing out that the state government had taken away agriculture lands for Parandur airport without any intimation nor considered the recommendations of the Machendranathan committee that was formed to study the issue and submit a report, he said that similarly, agricultural lands were earmarked for a SIPCOT complex at Melma in Tiruvannamalai and farmers who opposed the move were arrested and even detained under the Goondas Act.

Referring to the promise of DMK in its poll manifesto that a price of Rs 2,500 per quintal for paddy and Rs 4,000 per tonne for sugarcane, he charged that the ruling party deceived farmers on these two assurances also after coming to power. “We demand the government should provide Rs 3,500 per quintal for paddy and Rs 5,000 per tonne for sugarcane. The government should also withdraw the Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation Act. With these demands, the farmers have decided to stage a series of protests from January 1 and the rally against the government will commence from Thanjavur,” Pandian added.