Chennai: Accusing AIADMK ministers of “belittling” farmers, who died due to crop failure in Tamil Nadu in saying that their deaths were due to their age-related problems, DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Sunday asked Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam to implement relief measures on “war-footing” and take steps to prevent further fatalities.
In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, the Leader of Opposition sought to know why the ministers, who made “insensitive” remarks about the death of farmers, failed to question the claims by AIADMK that more than 500 people died due to heart attack after hearing the death of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
“The way the ministers are talking about farmers’ deaths amounts to not just belittling them but also taking revenge on the entire farming community in the state. Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has the responsibility to rein in his ministers but he is not in a position to do so due to lack of unity in the State Cabinet,” Mr Stalin said.
Without naming the ministers, who during their field visit to several regions in the state said that not all farmers’ deaths can be attributed to drought, the DMK leader asked the state government and the chief minister to accept the reality and take steps to prevent furthr fatalities.
“The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognisance of media reports and has issued notice to the state on the death of 106 farmers. While the NHRC and other forums like High Court have spoken in favour of the farmers, the ministers’ statements have created unrest among farmers,” the DMK Working President said.
“I insist that the Chief Minister should take steps to prevent further deaths and implement relief works on war-footing. I also demand that the government release details pertaining to the farmers’ deaths, which occurred due to suicide and of shock,” Mr Stalin said.
He also said the Tamil Nadu Government was forced to wake up from its slumber after the DMK delegation led by him met Mr Panneerselvam and demanded a detailed statement and assessment from him. The Tamil Nadu Government had last week constituted committees comprising ministers and senior officials besides District Collectors to take stock of the situation and file reports on the status of crops and drought.
