CHENNAI: The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) on Friday announced a massive protest in Tirupur on September 2 against the Union government for failing to address the severe crisis faced by the textile hub following the US tariffs.
Leaders of the alliance, including DMK general secretary Duraimurugan, said the steep tariff had dealt a heavy blow to Tirupur’s knitwear industry, threatening exports worth nearly Rs 3,000 crore and putting lakhs of jobs at risk. “Close to 30 lakh workers are in danger of losing employment. The sector as a whole supports over 75 lakh people in TN, faces an existential threat,” the statement said.
The leaders recalled that Chief Minister MK Stalin had written to PM Modi on August 16, warning of the impending crisis and urging urgent remedial measures. Stalin reiterated his appeal on August 28, but the Centre “remains unmoved like a stone cast into a well,” the statement charged.
The SPA leaders accused the BJP-led Union government of ignoring the plight of small and medium exporters while “rushing to the aid of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani.” They said the Centre’s silence amounted to tacit support for “the designs of the US to cripple Tirupur’s textile exports.”
They demanded immediate relief measures, including tax concessions and subsidies.