CM no longer fit to call himself a farmer: MK Stalin

Chennai

Coming down heavily on the AIADMK for its support for three agriculture related bills in parliament, DMK Chief MK Stalin said CM Edappadi Palaniswami should no longer call himself a farmer.

For the uninitiated, farmers protests have intensified in verdant states of Haryana and Punjab following the passage of three agricultural bills which they claim would turn perilous to Minimum Support Price (MSP), Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) and other amenities farmers enjoy.

Since Punjab economy predominantly relies on agriculture and farmers' priorities cannot be compromised the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal quit her cabinet post and her husband and SAD leader Sukbir Singh Badal said they would continue supporting BJP from the outside but their party opposes the bill.

The high-octane political tremor of Delhi was felt in Tamil Nadu as well with DMK Chief taking a swipe at the ruling AIADMK.

In his statement he registered condemnation on behalf of his party saying AIADMK despite knowing these bills would jeopardize livelihoods of farming community had supported the bill.

Extending his attack Stalin said under the new rules for agricultural trade online, the bill wants the farmer to attach his PAN card which brings the farmer to the taxation ambit and it would add to the burden of farmers.

PM Modi however has dismissed criticisms of the opposition parties as misinformation, he lauded that this bill ensures to check middlemen taking lion's share of the produce's profit.

The Modi-led BJP government with its indisputable majority has cinched the Produce Trade and Commerce and the Price Assurance and Farm Services bill through in the parliament.