Chennai: An all-party meeting convened by DMK and in which VCK and the Left participated on Sunday decided to observe day-long bandh on April 25 demanding action from the State and Central Governments on the demands being raised by farmers facing the worst-ever drought in several decades.
The meeting, which was boycotted by PMK at the last minute and chaired by DMK Working President MK Stalin, also decided to take steps to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes time to meet the farmers from Tamil Nadu who have been protesting in the national capital for the past 33 days.
This is the first time that Left — CPI and CPI (M) — is participating in an all-party meeting convened by the DMK after it quit the UPA in 2008. Almost all non-AIADMK and non-BJP parties attended the meeting that was harsh on both the Tamil Nadu and the Narendra Modi-led government for turning a deaf ear to the demands of the farming community.
Announcing the resolutions adopted at the meeting, Mr Stalin said besides the bandh, the parties also decided to hold a public meeting in Chennai on April 22 to explain to the people the reasons for organising the April 25 bandh.
“The meeting resolved to ask the state government to convene a special assembly session and pass resolutions on the farmers’ demands. We also resolved to prevent other states from constructing check dams on inter-state rivers,” he told reporters.
One of the 19 resolutions passed at the meeting asked the Union Government to waive all farm loans availed by farmers from public sector banks and demanded that it should take efforts to write off loans availed from cooperative banks as well. Another resolution asked the Tamil Nadu Government to implement the orders of the Madras High Court that asked it to waive off loans availed by farmers in the state.
Quoting observations made by Supreme Court on April 13 condemning the State Government’s silence in preventing farmer suicides, the meeting asked the TN Govt to announce solatium to the families of those who ended their lives.
Other resolutions demanded immediate constitution of Cauvery Management Board and declaring the Cauvery delta as a disaster prone area. The meeting also demanded that Methane and Hydrocarbon extraction projects be withdrawn, height of Mullaperiyar dam be increased to 152 feet, exemption for students from Tamil Nadu from appearing for NEET and measures on war-footing to solve water crisis in the state.
The DMK not inviting the BJP for the all-party meet and strong resolutions against the BJP and AIADMK have enthused allies like Congress, IUML and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi.
Farmers will not buy DMK drama, says Sellur
Minister for Cooperatives, Sellur K Raju, on Sunday termed the all-party meeting convened by DMK as ‘drama’ and accused the principal Opposition party of politicising farmers' issue.
"DMK has no locus standi to talk about farmers' issue. It was during the DMK's regime, price of fertiliser used by farmers was raised and that is one of the reasons for the crisis. The all-party meeting is a drama enacted by the DMK," Mr Raju said. He also accused MK Stalin of not fighting against the Union Government on the agrarian crisis. Farmers are protesting against the Centre not the State Government, Mr Raju said.
All sections should support bandh: Thiruma
VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan on Sunday appealed to all political parties and social organisations to support the April 25 bandh sponsored by DMK and other political parties since the issue on which the strike has been called concerns everyone in the State. “I appeal to everyone - government servants, traders, social organisations and general public - to support the bandh on April 25. I make an appeal to political parties that did not participate in today's meeting also to join the bandh,” Mr Thirumavalavan said. The former MP said the demands being raised by farmers were just and the bandh should convey overall feelings of Tamils against the Union Government, which has not yet come out with concrete solution to the demands.
Welcome public meeting: Ayyakannu
Tamil Nadu farmers protesting in New Delhi on Sunday welcomed the April 25 bandh and asked both the BJP and AIADMK to participate in the day-long strike to convey the “collective sense” of the state to the Union Government. “The move is commendable and we welcome the bandh. We also want the AIADMK and the BJP to participate. Everyone should participate and ensure that farmers get their due,” Ayyakannu, who is leading the protests in Delhi, said.
