Farmers and farm labourers owing allegiance to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) launched a sit-in protest at the Collector’s office in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur as part of a statewide protest to highlight their demands.
They want the State to be declared as drought-hit, compensation for affected crops like paddy, sugarcane and coconut, 200 days to work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Rs. 400 as wages per day, relief of Rs. 10 lakh to farmers who died of shock or committed suicide, grant of Rs. 10,000 to jobless farm labourers, waiver all crop loans, additional funds to desilt tanks, lakes and ponds.
National president of the Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union S. Thirunavukkarasu led the demonstration in Thanjavur. District secretary Samy Natarajan, president K. Kamaraj, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Thozhilalar Sangam district secretary K. Pakkirsiamy and president R. Vasu participated.
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Tiruvarur
The protest in front of the Collector’s office here was led by Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam State president and former MLA K. Balakrishnan.
District president V.S. Kaliyaperumal, secretary G. Sundaramurthy, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Thozhilalar Sangam district president P.R. Samiyappan, and secretary R. Kumararaja participated in it.
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Mr. Balakrishnan said the protests would continue till a solution to the problem plaguing the farmers came from the government. The charter of demands needed to be met, he said adding that the plight of farmers called for immediate action on the part of the Central and State governments.
Pudukottai
A. Laser, former MLA and state president of Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union, S. Ponnusamy, district secretary, S. Sankar, district secretary of Agricultural Labourers Union, M. Chinnadurai, state executive member of the party, participated in the protest here. Collector S. Ganesh held talks with them and assured that their grievances and demands would be conveyed to the government. The cadre cooked food and distributed the same to the farmers indicating that they would continue the stir.
Perambalur
Around 80 farmers including 30 women led by the district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam Selladurai staged an agitation near the Collectorate.
Karur
District secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam S. Shanmugasundaram presided over the agitation here. Since several districts had not received sufficient rainfall during the monsoon, they said that standing paddy crop raised in various districts including Karur have been withering due to shortage of water. So, the government should immediately declare the entire State as drought hit.
Later, all 64 members including nine women were taken into preventive custody.