Ryots infuse fresh momentum to stir against Salem-Chennai expressway

More than 100 farmers, led by film director V Gowthaman, besieged the Salem Collectorate shouting slogans against the Centre and state governments for being hell-bent on implementing the project. 

Threatens poll boycott 

The protesting farmers held crops in their hands to highlight that their livelihood will be lost if fertile farm lands are taken away by the government for the road project. They claimed that their anger will definitely reflect in the polls. 

The farmers vowed to wage a ‘democratic war’ against the governments for implementing the project. “Just like jallikattu protests, we have decided to carry out massive mass protests in the coming days to pressurise the governments to drop the project. The farmers will not forego even a handful of soil from their land,” said Gowthaman to reporters. 

The farmers have resorted to protests yet again after the apex court gave a go ahead to the Centre to execute the project. With farmers breaking into protests in Salem and other districts, including Tiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram, the proposed eight-lane works is likely to turn into a key poll issue as more than 15,000 acres of fertile farmlands in a dozen districts were to be affected. 

There were even voices from protesting farmers that they wouldn’t mind even boycotting the polls if the project is not dropped. “We will vote only for a party that promises to drop the project,” said farmers. 

A large number of police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incidents.