TVK MLA and Assembly speaker JCD Prabhakar has criticised Communist parties for allegedly opposing technological development and mechanisation from the early stages, particularly the introduction of JCBs and mechanical harvesters in agriculture.
Speaking to the press, Prabhakar recalled how Left parties had opposed the introduction of agricultural machinery, claiming that it would result in job losses among workers.
“I am going to say something. When the JCB came, communists protested against it saying it will lead to job losses. When the harvester machine first came, I went to supervise it at a field. There our Communist friends were protesting saying if these machines start being used, it will affect harvest itself and that the workers will lose their jobs. The Communists protested in Delta regions. But with the passage of time, what happened was the same people who protested are using the new technology and machines and harvest scientifically. Whatever scheme the government announces there will be merits and demerits…”
JCB, நெல் அறுவடை இயந்திரம் வரும்போதே எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்தவர்கள் கம்யூனிஸ்ட்கள் சபாநாயகர் JCD.பிரபாகர் @JCDPrabhakar pic.twitter.com/F27ZN4Wc1T
— Meiyyanathan (@mmeiyyanathan) September 23, 2026
Prabhakar alleged that such opposition to mechanisation and technological advancement had the effect of holding back both the country and families dependent on agricultural work.
He also referred to the current political positions and activities of Communist leaders, including Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tamil Nadu state secretary P. Shanmugam, while criticising what he described as a contradiction between their past opposition to technology and their present use of modern agricultural machinery, as reported in Seithisolai.
Prabhakar argued that government schemes and technological changes could have both advantages and disadvantages but maintained that opposition to technological development on the grounds of potential job losses was not sustainable in the long term.
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