Crop loan waiver: Left unions to stage road blockades at 500 places across TN on October 21

CHENNAI: Left-wing farmers' unions will stage road blockades at 500 locations across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, demanding a crop loan waiver, drought relief for crop losses caused by deficient rainfall and El Niño, and Karnataka's release of its monthly Cauvery water quota as mandated by the Supreme Court.

The protest call was issued jointly by BS Masilamani, state general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association (CPI), Sami Natarajan, state general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association (CPM), and A Chandramohan, state general secretary of the All India Kisan Mahasabha (CPI-ML).

The unions accused the state government of reneging on its poll promise to waive crop loans taken from cooperative banks in full for farmers owning up to five acres and by 50 per cent for those owning more than five acres.

They said repeated protests since May and talks with ministers had yielded no announcement. At a meeting on August 7 attended by eight ministers, senior IAS officers and representatives of more than 20 farmers' organisations, the government had assured them that the issue would be resolved, but had failed to act, they alleged.

The unions said confusion over the proposed waiver had also prevented farmers from obtaining fresh crop loans. They demanded relief for agricultural labourers who had lost their livelihoods and drought compensation following a government assessment of crop losses caused by deficient rainfall and El Niño.

In the Cauvery delta, farmers had lost the kuruvai crop and faced uncertainty over samba cultivation as the Mettur dam’s water level declined. The unions urged the government to take urgent steps to secure Karnataka's monthly Cauvery water releases in accordance with the Supreme Court's final verdict.

They appealed to farmers across the state to participate in large numbers in Wednesday's protests.