A political controversy has erupted after Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin dismissed Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami’s claims about rain-damaged paddy in the delta region and made remarks perceived as derogatory toward a woman farmer who had voiced her grievances.
Speaking in Thanjavur, Udhayanidhi said the opposition leader was “enacting a drama” by claiming that paddy bundles had sprouted due to heavy rains. His comments have drawn widespread criticism from farmer groups and opposition parties, who accused him of disrespecting a distressed woman cultivator.
Palaniswami had visited several rain-affected areas earlier this week, where a woman farmer from Varavukottai village reportedly told him that her harvested paddy bundles had begun to sprout after being soaked by rain. Following the visit, Udhayanidhi said he had directed the district administration to investigate the claim. He stated that officials found the woman’s field had not yet been harvested, questioning how she could have brought paddy bundles to the procurement centre.
Udhayanidhi said, “Similarly, the Leader of the Opposition has also told a story that the bundles of paddy here have sprouted after getting wet in the rain. He told the Leader of the Opposition yesterday that a woman is saying that the bundles of paddy that were put here have sprouted. I immediately contacted the District Collector and the Chief Minister and asked him to investigate what it was. The Collector sent officials to the village of the woman in question, Varavukottai, and immediately conducted an investigation. In that investigation, it was revealed that the woman had planted on five acres of rented land. No harvest has taken place in her field till this afternoon. Only she has any idea how she brought the bundles of paddy to the center from the field where there was no harvest.”
Farmer representatives condemned Udhayanidhi’s remarks, arguing that the government should not reveal personal details of affected farmers or dismiss their grievances. “By naming the woman and questioning her honesty, the deputy chief minister is discouraging others from speaking about their losses,” one farmers’ association member said.
Meanwhile, Udhayanidhi defended the government’s paddy procurement efforts, calling the opposition’s allegations “baseless and politically motivated.” He said 1,825 procurement centres were currently operating across Tamil Nadu and that over 10 lakh tonnes of paddy had already been procured since the start of the Kuruvai season on 1 September 2025. Of this, 8 lakh tonnes had been transported to storage godowns, and the remainder would be shifted within 10 days, he added.
Udhayanidhi also said the state had requested the Union government to raise the permissible moisture content in paddy from 17% to 22% to assist rain-affected farmers. He was accompanied during his inspection by ministers R Sakkarapani, K Ponmudi, TRB Rajaa, and District Collector P Priyanka Pankajam.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
