The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has found itself amidst a heated controversy as authorities initiated the demolition of sugarcane crops ready for harvest near Cuddalore for the construction of a state highway.
This action has drawn backlash from local farmers who argue that the compensation offered for their land acquisition is unjustly low. The case is currently pending in court, yet authorities, accompanied by police, conducted the demolition without any prior notice, leaving farmers shocked and outraged.
A video capturing the sudden destruction of the crops by JCBs has gone viral. Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai expressed his astonishment at the developments, questioning the need for such immediate action when the Collector had already granted a two-month period to complete the necessary procedures for land acquisition.
கடலூர் மாவட்டம் பண்ருட்டி அருகே, கடலூர் மடப்பட்டு இடையிலான மாநில நெடுஞ்சாலை அமைக்க நடைபெறும் நிலம் கையகப்படுத்தும் பணியை எதிர்த்து, நிலத்திற்கு குறைந்த மதிப்பில் விலை நிர்ணயம் செய்ததாகக் கூறி, அந்தப் பகுதியில் உள்ள விவசாயிகள் உயர் நீதிமன்றத்தில் வழக்கு தொடர்ந்திருப்பதாகத்… pic.twitter.com/9fYzE5sc0m
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) June 5, 2023
Annamalai also criticized the government’s lack of empathy for farmers, emphasizing that a government that prioritizes building roads on agricultural lands fails to understand the grievances of those who depend on farming for their livelihoods.
In another incident, farmers have been staging a sit-in protest for over 150 days against the DMK government’s acquisition of agricultural land to set up SIPCOT industrial estate at Krishnagiri district.
In April 2022, then Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced in the Assembly that a new SIPCOT will be established in Krishnagiri on 3,000 acres at a cost of ₹1,800 crore.
This has been met with stern opposition from locals as several acres of fertile agricultural lands in Ayarnampalli and Udhanappalli villages of Soolagiri taluk in Krishnagiri be lost.
In March 2023, a ‘peace meeting’ aimed at resolving the conflict between farmers and the revenue administration ended in an impasse as the officials had made arrangements only to hear from a select few in a small hall.
Since the DMK government refused to yield to their demands, the farmers intensified the protests with hunger strikes till death.
One farmer named Annaiyyappa died as a result of the fast unto death.
This incident highlights an ironic aspect regarding the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT), which has established 24 industrial parks in 16 districts across the state. Surprisingly, more than half of the vast 38,538-acre area allocated for these parks remains unoccupied to this day. In light of this fact, questions arise as to why the DMK government is pursuing the further acquisition of agricultural land when there are existing industrial land lying vacant.
தமிழ்நாடு முழுவதும் 16 மாவட்டங்களில், 24 தொழிற்பூங்காக்களை சிப்காட் அமைத்துள்ளது. மொத்த பரப்பளவான 38,538 ஏக்கரில் பாதிக்கும் மேலான இடங்கள் இன்றுவரை காலியாகவே உள்ளது.
இந்நிலையில் எதற்காக மேலும்மேலும் விவசாய நிலங்களை அபகறிக்க துடிக்கிறது சிப்காட் ?
புதிய தொழில்துறை அமைச்சரின்… pic.twitter.com/ypRSxLOwKS
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) June 6, 2023
Condemning the tragic death of the farmer, BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annammalai lashed out at the DMK government for its incompetence.
He said that the Industries Minister (Thennarasu then, TRB Rajaa now) should have personally met the farmers who have been struggling for 150 days and given fair solutions to their demands adding that the ‘incompetent’ DMK government is hiding behind officials and ignoring the struggling farmers.
கிருஷ்ணகிரி மாவட்டம் உத்தனப்பள்ளி உள்ளிட்ட ஊராட்சிகளில், சிப்காட் தொழிற்பேட்டை அமைக்க, தமிழக அரசு விளை நிலங்களைக் கையகப்படுத்துவதை எதிர்த்து, 150 நாள்களாக விவசாயிகள் காத்திருப்புப் போராட்டம் நடத்தி வருகிறார்கள்.
கடந்த 2022 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஏப்ரல் மாதம், தமிழக தொழிற்துறை அமைச்சர்,…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) June 7, 2023
Both of these incidents of the DMK government’s apathy towards farmers have virtually gone unreported. Despite the months long protest in Krishnagiri, the Dravidian Stockist media which had extensively covered the protest against farmer empowerment laws in Delhi have looked the other way. The mainstream media outlets have either downplayed the protest or have completely ignored it. Poovulagin Nanbargal NGO which was one of the frontal organizations in instigating protests against Chennai – Salem expressway is no where to be seen. Its head G. Soundararajan was appointed by the DMK government as a member of the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change.
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