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Hold talks with Tamil Nadu farmers, Rajya Sabha tells government
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien on Tuesday wanted the government to hold talks with drought-hit farmers of Tamil Nadu and resolve their agitation for crop loan waiver.
By
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migrator
New Delhi
Trichy Siva (DMK), who had given a notice under rule 267 seeking suspension of the day’s business to discuss the plight of Tamil Nadu farmers, said no one from the government had given the agitating farmers an audience and listen to their grievances.
The farmers, he said, are demanding crop loan waiver and linking of Cauvery river to help them overcome difficulties arising from drought in the state. While his notice was disallowed, Siva was permitted to make a brief mention on the issue.
Since crop loans have been extended by public sector banks, the central government must give an assurance, he said. “Assurance should be given by Prime Minister or a senior minister .... (But) they are not even giving an audience,” he said alleging that the Centre had no sympathy for the Tamil Nadu farmers.
While AIADMK’s A Navaneethakrishnan supported him saying the Union government must respond, D Raja (CPI) said the government was insensitive to the plight of Tamil Nadu farmers. Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said newspapers had carried reports of the agitating farmers being forced to eat rats for survival.
Kurien said he too had seen the reports of agitating farmers agitating carrying human skulls and eating rates. He said one of representatives of the government should meet and talk to them and put an end to their agitation.
Agreeing with the feelings of the members, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it is a sensitive and important issue and he will convey to the concerned minister the feelings of the House.
‘Ryots must protest in State, not New Delhi’
Indu Makkal Katchi-Tamilagam has extended support to the demands of farmers but made an appeal to farmers to stage the protests in Tamil Nadu and not in Delhi, as the major share of responsibility to protest farmers including waiver of agriculture loans rests with the state government and not the Centre.
The party founder Arjun Sampath, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, blamed the state for the drought situation. He further condemned the ‘stripping’ protest staged by the farmers in Delhi on Monday and said, “Obscenity of any kind cannot be accepted in public.” Meanwhile, 44 SDPI cadre were arrested by the police for trying to block the trains at Coimbatore junction on Tuesday in support of the farmers.
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