New Delhi: Rival factions of the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu are moving closer to a patch-up, with hectic parleys on between the O Panneerselvam and E Palaniswami camps. Left out in the cold are drought-hit farmers from Tamil Nadu who have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for 38 days now.
With no signs of their demands being met, the farmers on Saturday drank urine to protest the delay in announcement of loan-waiver and a relief package. With each passing day, the farmers are coming up with new and hard-hitting forms of protest, hoping for some attention from the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu and the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Tamil Nadu farmers drink urine protesting over drought relief funds and waiver of farmers' loans at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. pic.twitter.com/LmxqzZktHi— ANI (@ANI_news) April 22, 2017
The farmers, who have been protesting since March 15, had earlier stripped outside Rashtrapati Bhavan after they were not allowed to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They had also displayed the skulls of farmers who died due to severe drought in the state. They even staged a protest by holding dead rats in their mouths and later alleged that they were forced to eat rat meat due to poverty.
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A skit staged during the protest showed one of the farmers wearing a Modi mask and with a whip in hand.
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They are demanding loan waivers, revised drought relief packages and the constitution of a Cauvery management board for a solution to the alleged drying up of the Tamil Nadu leg of the river.
Opposition parties, including the DMK, Congress, Left parties, the VCK and IUML have appealed to the farmers to suspend their protest and join the all-party strike called by them in Tamil Nadu.