Farmers to resume indefinite protest demanding crop loan waiver from Thursday

TIRUCHY: Farmers have declared they will resume their indefinite protest from October 22 in Tiruchy as the 20-day waiting period requested by the ministers for the announcement of a fresh crop loan waiver is over.

The farmers, from around 40 associations, commenced their indefinite protest on September 15 in Tiruchy, demanding a fresh announcement of a crop loan waiver without any conditions as per the promise given by the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay during the election campaign.

Ministers R Vinoth (Agriculture), V Gandhiraj (Cooperation) and S Ramesh (HR&CE) held talks at the district collectorate on the same day and sought time for the new announcement.

On September 18, delegates of various farmers' associations met in Chennai, but this failed as the government sought 20 days' time.

However, even after 27 days had passed, the government has not so far taken any step for crop loan waiver as promised by the ministers. The farmers claimed that the minister cited the bypolls for the delay in the announcement. The farmers also said that the state government should immediately make a fresh announcement on crop loan waiver and issue loan waiver certificates to the respective farmers, which was in practice in the past. The farmers also urged the government to direct the cooperative banks to issue a regulation to return the jewels pledged by the farmers.

"If the announcement is not made immediately, the indefinite protest by representatives of 40 farmers' associations would resume in Tiruchy from October 22," said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association and one of the protest coordinators.