A DMK-initiated consultative meeting of farmers with political parties in the State on Thursday urged the AIADMK government to convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly and pass a resolution to protect the livelihood of Cauvery delta farmers and exert pressure on the Centre by leading a delegation to meet the Prime Minister.
Representatives of major farmers’ associations held a meeting at DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam here chaired by opposition leader M.K. Stalin. The Congress, CPI (M) and CPI had also sent their representatives.
The meeting adopted a resolution urging the government to convene an all party meeting to get suggestions of opposition leaders and then convene a special session of the Assembly to show the Centre that Tamil Nadu was united in protecting farmers’ interests.
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The meeting condemned Karnataka’s refusal to implement Supreme Court orders on the formation of the Cauvery Management Board and the alleged anti-Tamil Nadu stance of a few Central ministers. The BJP-led Centre itself was infirm in implementing the court’s orders for political gains.
As per the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final verdict, the Karnataka government should have released 90 tmc till August but it had released only 33.95 tmc till now despite good rains. The delta farmers had lost kuruvai crop for the past five years and are likely to loss the samba crop also, the meeting said.
Gripped by poverty and burdened with loans, the farmers have been forced into a tight corner and several thousands of agricultural labourers are likely to migrate due to the prevailing grim situation in the delta.
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The meeting urged the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee immediately to save the lives of delta farmers.
The DMK was represented by senior leaders Durai Murugan, V.P. Duraisamy, R.S. Bharathi, TKS Elangovan; Congress by Pounkumar and U. Balaraman; CPI by Gunasekaran and Duraimanickam and CPI(M) by Shanmugam.
The farmers’ representatives at the function were K. Chellamuthu, P.R. Pandian, Deivasigamani, Ayyakannu, Balu Dikshithar, Hemanathan and K.P. Ramalingam.
Later, the DMK announced that it would support the rail roko announced by the farmers on October 17 and 18.