CHENNAI/SALEM/NAGAPATTINAM/COIMBATORE: Thousands of farmers from various organisations across the state, continued demonstrations in numerous districts on Monday, demanding a complete waiver of cooperative crop and jewellery loans, alleging that the state government’s recent announcement had fallen short of their expectations.
They said many cultivators, especially small and marginal farmers, remained burdened by debt despite election promises of broader relief. In Nagapattinam, the farmers criticised the government’s partial waiver announcement as discriminatory and deceptive. A few protesters staged a symbolic demonstration by lying on the ground like corpses.
Farmer leaders also claimed that over 90% of cooperative society borrowers would receive only minimal benefit under the present scheme. Farmers protested in various districts, including Salem, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvallur, Villupuram and Vellore.
Meanwhile, former finance minister and senior DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu on Monday accused the TVK government of deliberately misleading farmers. He alleged that the ruling party was fully aware of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines restricting cooperative bank loan waivers before making poll promises and now referring to the same norms as an excuse to backtrack.
The TVK poll manifesto had promised a full waiver of cooperative bank crop loans for farmers holding up to five acres and a 50% waiver for those with holdings above five acres. The former FM pointed out that the RBI circular in question was issued as early as November 28, 2025, more than four months before TVK released its election manifesto on April 16, 2026.
“When promises are made with honey-coated words, RBI guidelines are nowhere to be seen. But the moment the government has to fulfil those promises after winning, these guidelines suddenly appear out of thin air. Is this administrative incompetence or calculated deception,” Thennarasu asked in a statement on Monday.
“TVK was fully aware of the RBI guidelines before making the promise. Now that votes have been harvested, they are hiding behind the RBI to renege on commitments. This is a complete betrayal of farmers,” he said.
“Making false promises to farmers, instilling hope in them and then delivering a half-measure that helps no one is a brazen betrayal of the farming community,” he said.
Thennarasu demanded that the TVK government announce a full crop loan waiver in its first budget, in line with its pre-poll promise. The partial waiver currently being implemented, he said, was benefiting no one in real terms.