CHENNAI: Demanding immediate compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre for farmers affected by Cyclone Ditwah, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Wednesday accused the ruling DMK of delaying relief to distressed delta farmers despite weeks having passed since the disaster.

In a statement, Nainar Nagenthran said farmers across the delta districts, who suffered extensive crop losses due to the cyclone, are yet to receive any compensation from the State government. He alleged that the delay has pushed farmers into severe financial distress and reflected the government’s indifference towards those who lost their livelihoods.

The BJP leader said large quantities of harvested paddy were damaged after being left exposed to rain, blaming the losses on dilapidated government-run paddy storage facilities and the State’s failure to carry out timely procurement. “Several tonnes of paddy sprouted and became unusable, destroying months of hard work by farmers,” he said.

Taking a swipe at Chief Minister M K Stalin, the former minister said the Chief Minister failed to personally visit the affected fields to console farmers and instead reviewed crop samples brought in parcels. He said such symbolic gestures did little to address the scale of devastation faced by farmers on the ground.

Nainar pointed out that even weeks after official inspections, the DMK government has not announced compensation in line with farmers’ demands. “Conducting reviews and then dragging its feet on relief is unjust and unacceptable,” he said.

Criticising the Chief Minister’s public remarks, the Tirunelveli MLA said that slogans alone would not ease farmers’ suffering. “Rather than repeatedly claiming to be a ‘deltakkaran’, the government must prove it through action by announcing Rs 30,000 per acre as compensation and delivering immediate relief,” added Nainar.