Thirty-eight days into their protest at the Capital’s Jantar Mantar, farmers from Tamil Nadu, who have been demanding that the Centre waive their agricultural loans and provide drought relief funds, on Saturday drank their own urine as part of their agitation. They threatened to eat faeces on Sunday if their demands are not addressed.
The farmers had come to the protest site with skulls, which they claimed were those of farmers who committed suicide. As part of their agitation, they have stripped, bitten into mice and snakes, conducted mock funerals and have even been flogged.
P. Ayyakkannu, the State president of the National South-Indian Rivers Linking Farmers’ Association, who is leading the protest said: “This is our desperation. Who wants to sit in Delhi in this heat and drink urine? We are helpless, we have been forced by the government to do this. We are not getting water to drink in Tamil Nadu, and Prime Minister Modi has been ignoring our thirst. ”
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On Wednesday, the farmers agreed to “wait patiently” for two days to give the government some time to get the affairs in order. The decision came after a meeting with Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Pon. Radhakrishnan, the only elected BJP MP from Tamil Nadu. The Minister had allegedly promised the farmers that he would talk to the Finance Minister and try to come up with a solution by May 15. “However, we are yet to hear from the government,” said 65-year-old Palanichamy.