Cadres of Communist Party of India (Marxist), along with farmers affliated to All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), took out a rally here on Tuesday in protest against the Land Acquisition Bill.
T.K. Rengarajan, MP and Central Committee member of the CPI(M), who led the rally, said that the BJP-led government had at the Centre promulgated the land ordinance for the third time and it was condemnable. It would adversely affect the interests of farmers, who were largely dependent on their land for cultivation. Once the Land Bill was enacted, it would empower the government to take over lands without the consent of farmers. Food production would be largely affected and vast tracts of cultivable land would be converted to bring in corporate companies against the interests of farmers. Hence, farmers in the State were against the implementation of the Land Bill and demanded the Centre to reconsider its move to implement the Bill.
Signature campaigns had been launched across India in protest against the ordinance. Around five crore signatures had been collected from farmers across India and five lakh signatures were collected from farmers in Tamil Nadu. The signatures would be submitted to Collectors in districts before they were forwarded to the President, he said.
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The rally taken out by farmers commenced from near the children’s park on Palayamkottai Road and proceeded to the Collectorate.
K.S. Arjunan, district secretary of the party, K.P. Perumal, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, R. Raghavan, district president of the sangam, I. Ganapathy, district treasurer, R. Russell, State secretary of the CITU, and others took part.