Rajya Sabha chair asks government to talk to Tamil Nadu farmers
The DMK's T Siva, who had given a notice under rule 267 seeking suspension of the day's business to discuss the issue, said no one from government had given the agitating farmers an audience.
Protesting TN farmers are demanding drought relief measures.
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Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J Kurien asked the government Tuesday to talk to drought-hit farmers of Tamil Nadu to end their agitation for crop loan waiver. The DMK’s T Siva, who had given a notice under rule 267 seeking suspension of the day’s business to discuss the issue, said no one from government had given the agitating farmers an audience. 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 allowed to make a brief mention of the issue. Since crop loans have been extended by the public sector banks, the central government has to 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.
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While the AIADMK’s A Navaneethakrishnan supported him saying the central government must respond, D Raja (CPI) said the government was insensitive to the plight of Tamil farmers.
The CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said newspapers had carried reports of the agitating farmers being forced to eat rats for survival. Kurien said he too has seen the reports of agitating farmers agitating carrying human skulls and eating rates.
Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
