Annamalai targets TVK over school row, crop loan waiver promise

CHENNAI: We The Leaders founder and Chief Servant K Annamalai on Saturday criticised the ruling TVK government over an alleged incident at a government school in Kancheepuram district and accused it of failing to fully honour its election promise on crop loan waiver for farmers.

In a statement, Annamalai alleged that more than 20 TVK cadre had entered a government school classroom near Uthiramerur, installed a photograph of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on a classroom wall and recorded videos for circulation on social media.

He said government schools across the State were in need of renewed attention and investment, and that the School Education Department was facing the task of restoring their standards. Activities that disrupt classrooms and interfere with the academic environment were inappropriate, he said.

“Being the ruling party does not give anyone the right to enter government schools and disturb classes. I believe the Chief Minister himself would not approve of such actions,” Annamalai said, urging Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and School Education Minister Rajmohan to ensure that party workers refrain from similar activities in future.

The former IPS officer also trained his sights on the government’s crop loan waiver scheme. He said the TVK had come to power after promising a complete waiver of cooperative crop loans for farmers owning up to five acres of land, but had subsequently announced that only loans up to Rs 75,000 would be fully waived.

Referring to a recent protest in Salem, where farmers reportedly whipped themselves outside the Collectorate, Annamalai said the agitation reflected growing disappointment among cultivators over the implementation of the scheme.

Drawing a parallel with the June 20, 1970 police firing on protesting farmers opposing an electricity tariff hike, in which three farmers were killed, he said it was unfortunate that farmers continued to struggle for their demands decades later.

“The government must fulfil the promise it made to the people and implement the crop loan waiver in its entirety,” Annamalai said, urging the administration not to subject farmers to further hardship.