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DMK allies protest against farm Acts in TN, Stalin says ready to go to SC

DMK and its allies held protests across Tamil Nadu, demanding the withdrawal of the farm laws.

DMK members, allies and farmers’ associations staged a protest across Tamil Nadu against the three farm Acts on Monday. DMK President MK Stalin led the protest in Kancheepuram and said 3500 demonstrations were taking place across the state. MDMK chief Vaiko, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri, DMK leaders T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran were among those who took part in the protests held at separate locations.Protests were held in Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem and delta districts demanding the withdrawal of the farm laws. 

“Take back farm laws,” “We will not rest until the farmers interests are protected,” “farmers betrayed,” and “farm laws lead to hoarding,” were among the slogans raised during the demonstrations.

Stalin arrived in Kancheepuram on Monday morning and interacted with women working in farmlands. He was wearing a green mask and a green shawl as a mark of support for the farmers.

The DMK President along with other leaders raised slogans condemning the state and Union governments for supporting the farm bills. Stalin said, “As soon as the bills were passed on September 22, the DMK called an all-party meeting in Anna Arivalayam and we came up with resolutions to conduct the protests in various districts and now it is happening in TN.”

He observed that the whole nation is criticizing the three farm Acts with farmer groups in Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka holding protests. Stalin alleged farmers would be driven out of their own lands and their lives shall go backward.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had often said that he was the son of a poor mother and “this son of a poor mother is now making a large number of Indians poor” the DMK chief charged.

The DMK leader hit out at the AIADMK for supporting the Bills both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and said that the state should go to Supreme Court against the law. “I have told Edappadi to go to the Supreme Court against the law like our neighbouring state Kerala. If the ruling government is not ready for it, the DMK as an Opposition party will go to the court on the behalf of the TN people,” said Stalin.

Taking a jibe at Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Stalin said, “There is a person in the state who claims that he is a farmer. You are saying you’re a farmer but what have you done for the farmers in Cauvery? The Karnataka government without following the Supreme Court order says that they will build the Mekedatu dam in Cauvery so do you have the guts to question their actions.”

The DMK and allies will meet once again and plan for another protest and the next course of action in the coming days, he added.

The Centre has maintained that the legislations, which have since received the Presidential assent, would be beneficial to the farmers as they would have freedom to choose the buyers for their produce and get remunerative price.

(With inputs from PTI) 

Source: The News Minute