Chennai: As their protest against the Union Government's apathy towards their plight entered 14th day in New Delhi, farmers from Tamil Nadu on Monday escalated their agitation by holding “dead rats” in their mouths to draw attention of the Prime Minister.
The farmers, who have been protesting in the Jantar Mantar area in New Delhi for the past two weeks, held dead rats in their mouths to send out a message that “they would soon be forced to eat rat meat if the problems of the farming community” are not addressed.
On a day their protest received support from Left MPs — Sitaram Yechury, T. K. Rangarajan and D. Raja, farmers wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and immediately enhance the drought relief package already approved for Tamil Nadu.
“Our protest has been peaceful and will always be peaceful. Those in power should understand the problems of the farmers. Farmers holding dead rat is an indirect way of warning the government that they could be forced to eat them in the future if their crops continue to wither,” farmers' leader Ayyakannu said.
He also asked both the governments to ensure that demands of the farmers are met to ensure that they don't take any “extreme step.”
Mr Raja and Mr Yechury assured farmers that they will raise their issues inside and outside Parliament and accused the Union government of “doing nothing” to solve the agrarian crisis.
