THANJAVUR: “Will Edappadi K Palaniswamy apologise to farmers for supporting the Union government’s controversial farm laws and for calling the protesting farmers as brokers?” Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin asked on Tuesday.
He was campaigning for party candidates contesting the urban local body polls in Thanjavur district through video conference. “By supporting the three farm laws, Palaniswami betrayed not only Tamil Nadu farmers but also farmers across the country. It is clear that he has been mimicking the voice of the BJP,” Stalin said.
The DMK was against the now-repealed farm laws right from the start as they would deny Minimum Support Price to farmers and were against their interests. “The laws were aimed at benefiting only corporate firms. So, DMK voted against the Bills in Parliament,” Stalin added.
On the Cauvery water issue, Stalin alleged the erstwhile AIADMK regime failed to effectively put up the case of Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court, and had forgone 14.75 tmcft of Cauvery water from Karnataka. The AIADMK regime also supported the union law which paved the way for hoarding of paddy and rice, Stalin alleged.
“Palaniswamy’s government lathicharged farmers who opposed the eight-lane Salem-Chennai corridor. There have been complaints of largescale corruption in Kudimaramathu work during the AIADMK regime. It was the DMK government that introduced free electricity for farmers. Our government is the first in the State to introduce a separate budget for agriculture. When schemes envisaged in the agriculture budget, to the tune of Rs 34,000 crore, are implemented, they will bring about an agriculture revolution,” Stalin said.
Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, MP SS Palanimanickam, and MLA Durai Chandrasekaran participated from Thanjavur. MP S Ramalingam, Government Chief Whip Govi Chezhian, and former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar joined in from Kumbakonam. Enathy Balasubramanian, South district secretary of the party, participated from Pattukkottai.