The Tamil Nadu Government should reveal its plan of action to mitigate drought so that the farmers are not exploited by vested interests, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko said here on Friday.
Addressing a protest demonstration here on Friday, Mr. Vaiko alleged that farmers of Kuruvikulam union in Tirunelveli district had complained that some officials were demanding Rs.200 from them on the promise of getting them drought relief for the losses they had suffered. “The farmers have been asked to submit copies of their land documents and bank passbooks along with Rs.200,” he said. To stop such exploitation, the State Government should make public its plan of action. The party demanded that a compensation of Rs.25 lakh be given to families of farmers who reportedly committed suicide over crop loss. Similarly, they should be given Rs.30,000 for every acre of land that faced crop loss.
Denying that bulls were being tortured during jallikattu, he claimed, “It is only the bull tamers who face the danger of death and the bulls are not tortured in the arena.” He sought a Central ordinance for lifting the ban on jallikattu.
