CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday condemned the DMK government for arresting poultry farmers who staged a peaceful protest demanding fair wages, accusing the ruling party of turning into an "enemy of farmers" by acting at the behest of corporate poultry companies.
In a statement, Anbumani said the police had arrested and jailed Poultry Farmers' Association president Eesan Murugasamy and 10 other office-bearers for protesting democratically, seeking an increase in broiler rearing charges from Rs 6.50 to Rs 20 per kg. He described the arrests as highly condemnable.
Pointing out that poultry rearing is largely carried out by farmers for big private companies, Anbumani said the rearing charge has not been revised for the past 13 years despite rising input costs. "Farmers have been forced to protest only because their long-pending demand for fair wages has been ignored," he said.
The PMK leader alleged that the arrests were carried out deliberately to suppress the agitation ahead of the scheduled tripartite talks on January 21. He accused the DMK government of protecting corporate interests while cracking down on farmers who raise their voice for justice.
Recalling earlier incidents, Anbumani said the DMK had also jailed farmers protesting land acquisition for the SIPCOT project at Melma under the Goondas Act. "A government that came to power with farmers' votes has now become their biggest enemy," he charged.
Anbumani demanded the immediate release of all arrested poultry farmers and urged the State government to ensure that corporate poultry firms accept the demand of Rs 20 per kg as rearing wages without delay.