CHENNAI: Taking exception to the affidavit filed by TN government before SC that farmers committed suicide due to various reasons and not due to drought, P Ayyakkanu, who led the 41-day agitation at Delhi pressing for demands of farmers, on Friday said, “We condemn this affidavit strongly.”
He recalled that farmers had withdrawn their long-drawn agitation in Delhi following an assurance given by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Now, the State had filed an affidavit contrary to the interests of farmers, he said. “We believed that the CM would fulfil our demands. If he goes against his promises, we have to agitate.”
DMK leader M K Stalin said, “Farmers are already suffering a lot. The State has now filed an affidavit stating that no farmer died due to drought. This is contrary to the stand of TN government which had declared the entire State as drought-affected and based on that, had sought a huge sum as relief. So, only either of these should be true – Tamil Nadu is a drought-hit State or no farmer had committed suicide due to drought.”