Crop loan waiver: Ryots stage shirtless protest in Thanjavur

TIRUCHY: A section of farmers staged a protest demanding that crop loans be written off as per the poll promise at Thanjavur Collectorate on Friday, while the pre-budget discussion meeting with the farmers was on.

Sources said, while the ministers and officials convened a pre-budget meeting with the farmers at Thanjavur collectorate, the farmers, headed by P Ayyakannnu, state president of Desiya Thennidhiya Nadhigal Inaippu Sangam, who assembled in the collectorate premises and staged a shirtless protest demanding that the state government to announce crop loan waiver as per the poll promise.

When the protesting farmers went to attend the meeting convened by the Agriculture Minister R Vinod, they were not reportedly offered seats, and so they submitted a petition with the minister regarding their demands and left the meeting venue and continued the protest.

When the farmers raised slogans for their demands, Thanjavur DRO Thiyagarajan and RDO Nithya rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesting farmers. Upon assurance by the officials to take the issue to the government, the farmers withdrew their protest.

Ayyakannu said the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, during his campaign in the Delta region, assured the farmers of waiving crop loans without any restrictions, but after forming the government, he forgot the promises and announced the crop loan waiver with certain conditions, which would affect almost all the farmers, he said.