Tamil Nadu farmers 'temporarily' call off their 41-day-long protest

Tamil Nadu farmers call off their protest/ File image/ ANI

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu farmers, who have been holding a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar from the last 41 days, finally suspended their protest after Chief Minister K. Palaniswami assured them that he will take up their demands including that of loan waiver with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To catch centre’s attention, the farmer had been protesting at Jantar Mantar in scorching heat. They have resorted to various ways to draw everyone’s attention towards them. However, the agitation would be resumed if promises are not fulfilled, said P. Ayyakannu, president of the National-South Indian Rivers Linking Farmers Association, who was leading the protest. These farmers had held a rally from the India Gate to the Jantar Mantar before the announcement. "We have been holding protests here from 41 days, during which we met the President, (Union) Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister, and Minister of State for Transport. They all assured us that our case will be considered. However, we have not received any help so far. Today, Chief Minister said he will write off our loans, taken from both nationalised and cooperative banks. So we have decided to suspend our agitations till May 25," Ayyakannu told media. He also said that DMK Working President M.K. Stalin had asked these farmers to return to the state. What is farmers’ demand? The farmers were on protest sit-in seeking loan waivers, drought relief packages and formation of a Cauvery Management Board to resolve their irrigation issues. Ayyakannu threatened to restart the agitations from May 25 if their demands are not met with by then. "We will review the situation after a month. If the government fails to fulfill its promises, we will agitate again," he said, adding that farmers from several states, including Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Assam, and Odisha have extended their support to their agitation. Farmers seek centre’s attention: Over the last 39 days,farmers have resorted to various actions to catch the attention of the media and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  They have shaved their heads, halved their moustaches, held mice and snakes in their mouths, conducted mock funerals, flogged themselves and even carried skulls of other farmers who had committed suicide due to debt pressure. On April 10, they had stripped in front of the prime minister’s office here to press for their demands. The protesting farmers on Saturday drank their own urine in another desperate bid to draw the government’s attention to their plight.