Notwithstanding the decision of the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers Association (affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association of the Communist Party of India – Marxist) to withdraw the agitation at Thirumandankudi, local sugarcane farmers continued their protest in support of their demands.
As a mark of protest to draw the attention of the Tamil Nadu government towards their prime demands, they approached the Revenue Divisional Office at Kumbakonam on Thursday to submit a memorandum announcing their decision to surrender their electoral photo identity cards if their demands were not considered by the State government, in vain.
The agitating farmers, led by the Tamil Nadu Karumbu Vivasayigal Sangam Thirumandankudi unit secretary, Naga.Murugesan and State Secretary, Thanga.Kasinathan were made to drop their memorandum in the “grievance petition” box at the Kumbakonam RDO office by the police and disperse.
The agitating sugarcane cultivators were on a relay demonstration at Thirumandankudi in Papanasam taluk in Thanjavur district for over 450 days demanding the acquisition of the defunct sugar mill at Thirumandankudi (which is all set to function as a distillery unit under a new management which has acquired the over ₹1,500 crore worth defunct sugar mill through the National Company Law Tribunal proceedings for a sum of around ₹150 crore) by the Tamil Nadu government, clearing of bank loans taken in the name of sugarcane cultivators attached to the mill by the erstwhile mill management and others.
