Farmers ‘prevented’ from raising demands with Chief Minister in Vellore

The officials wanted most of their demands to be dropped or smoothened out in order to ‘please’ the Chief Minister during the meeting. This interference infuriated farmer leaders to the extent of bringing up the idea of boycotting it. One of the farmer leaders seeking anonymity said, “Officials feel that if we raise such issues it will irk the Chief Minister, when they conveniently forget that he is also a farmer by profession.”

For example, when a farmer leader suggested that government act on polluting industries which made water for agriculture and drinking unfit, top district revenue officials told them to remove it. Similarly, when they suggested that work be started on the Ponnai-Palar link which CM Palaniswami announced on his first visit to the district, also drew flak from officials who wanted it to be “smoothened a bit.”

When another member mooted the suggestion to start a modern rice mill (MRM) for the area, officials asked him why he was suggesting something which had relevance only in Delta districts. The farmer leader had to enlighten the official by stating that rice mill would result in paddy being procured throughout the year. Talking to DT Next, a few agricultural leaders said, “If the CM heeds to our requests it will then mean that most of our problems will be solved. But for that to happen, the officials must first be aware of various farmer related issues plaguing the district.”