VELLORE: Members of the Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, a farmers’ association, staged a massive protest near Vellore Collectorate on Monday against the state government's crop loan waiver announcement. Similar protests were also held in Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, and Tirupattur districts.
Claiming to draw the chief minister's attention, farmers from the four districts adopted various forms of protest, including tying black cloths around their mouths, applying ash on their foreheads, and wearing green shawls on their heads.
According to a statement issued by S Udayakumar, state general secretary of the association, five resolutions were adopted during the protest. The farmers demanded the full implementation of the election promise regarding crop loan waivers. "Since even a small loss can significantly affect small farmers and larger losses impact big farmers, crop loans should be completely waived without any distinction between small and large landholders," they said.
The farmers further demanded that the loans availed for agricultural-related purposes, including the purchase of livestock and farm machinery, be covered under the waiver scheme. They also sought the inclusion of agricultural loans obtained from nationalised banks. In addition, they demanded that no coercive action be taken against farmers who have failed to repay loans after the due date, having relied on the government's election promise of a loan waiver.
More than 500 farmers participated in the protest in Tirupattur. They also condemned remarks allegedly made by Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna, accusing him of belittling agriculture by stating that sports are more difficult than farming. The protesters demanded an apology from the minister.
The farmers across the district warned that if the government does not revise the loan waiver order, they would intensify their agitation and mobilise farmers across Tamil Nadu to lay siege to the Secretariat.
