Stalin-Nirmala Clash Over Paddy Bonus Intensifies

Chennai: A charge made by Chief Minister M K Stalin during a campaign meeting in Thanjavur that the Union Government had requested the State to consider discontinuing the additional bonus given to farmers for undertaking paddy cultivation triggered an acrimonious exchange on social media with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman denying it and accusing the DMK of exploiting the critical situation for political gain.

Stalin had referred to the letter sent to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu by the Union Finance Ministry clearly stating that since the State’s additional bonus for paddy has led to bumper production of paddy, the State government should consider discontinuing the bonus.

Since Sitharaman, denying it in the social media message that lambasted Stalin on Monday, had also said it was up to the State Governments to consider bonus above MSP to paddy farmers and that nobody had taken away such rights, Stalin urged her to place the letter in the public domain.

Releasing the letter dated dated January 9, addressed to the then State Chief Secretary N Muruganandham by Union Secretary (Expenditure), V Vualnam, that clearly said, ‘I request you to review the existing bonus policy of the State Government and consider discontinuing the bonus on wheat and paddy,’ Sitaraman accused Stalin of not concerned about the welfare of the nation.

In the long message, she said that Stalin and the DMK were adept at creating a rift between the State and Union Governments and had done just that on the issue concerning food safety and encouraging the continuous participation of those involved in farming in agriculture.

While farmers would be able to get good prices for crops having a higher demand than their distribution, Stalin, without considering the welfare of farmers, was creating controversies over advisories sent to States with a view to making them share the responsibility on food security, she said.

Urging Stalin to stop wasting time on needless pejorative talks against the Union Government, she urged him to explain to the people of the State why opportunities should be given for foreign markets to operate in the State without the country developing self-reliance on dal and oil seeds.

Responding to that message, Stalin told the Union Minister she could have just released that letter to the Chief Secretaries and need not have resorted to such a long explanation on it if what she wanted to convey was true.

To her claim that most of the other States had agreed to cancel the bonus for paddy cultivation, Stalin said that it was a blatant lie and referred to Kerala Chief Minister Pinayari Vijayan writing in February saying that the demand to scrap the bonus by labeling food production as a liability was an affront to farmers.