CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday said the hard work of Tamil Nadu’s farmers ‘should not go to waste’, stressing that paddy cultivators had laboured through adverse weather while the government had made arrangements for procurement.
In a statement, Stalin criticised the Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami and the Union government, accusing both of betraying farmers by refusing to relax the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement.
Referring to the Secular Democratic Alliance’s recent protests against the Centre, the Chief Minister said alliances must function in a manner that benefits Tamil Nadu. “Does Palaniswami think an alliance exists merely to mortgage self-respect and rights?” he asked.
Stalin reiterated that the State government was committed to ensuring that farmers’ efforts were recognised and that procurement was carried out without hardship.