The Hindu Munnani in Tamil Nadu has challened PMK leader Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss over his stance to waive off lease payment of farm land owners doing cultivation on temple land.
Temples across Tamil Nadu possesses extensive farmlands which the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department manages. Over generations, individuals from local communities have leased and cultivated these lands. As a tradition, a portion of the harvested paddy is provided as lease for these cultivated lands, a long-standing practice.
In the recent statement PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss expressed, “The HR&CE Department is engaged in the process of expropriating farmers who are cultivating farmlands owned by Tamil Nadu temples on the grounds that they have not paid the paddy lease for several years. Depriving farmers of their livelihood without understanding their circumstances and helping them is reprehensible.”
Anbumani Ramadoss said that except for a few years in the last few decades, agriculture has not recovered due to severe drought and excessive rainfall. He said that in the next few years, the rice crops were affected by natural disasters, causing huge losses to the farmers because of which the cultivators could not supply the leased paddy to the temples.
“There is nothing wrong with the farmers. Paddy could not be supplied due to losses due to natural disasters. Since it is natural that the farmers cannot provide lease during periods of poor yield, it would be natural justice for the temple administrations to voluntarily waive the provision of lease paddy during natural calamities.“, he said.
He further added “Farmers affected by natural calamities and unable to pay lease paddy have been insisting for years for waiver of lease paddy arrears citing their inability. However, the HR&CE department and the temple administrations, which did not accept the request, are trying to recover the agriculture lands from the farmers who have left the leased paddy and put them up for public auction. This is not fair in any way.”
With a focus on the wellbeing and livelihoods of temple land tenant farmers, Anbumani Ramadoss emphasized in a statement that the Tamil Nadu Government should intervene to resolve cases concerning unpaid lease paddy and consider waiving the accrued lease paddy dues. He urged action to avert a significant crisis for the temple land tenant farmers.
“Two-thirds of the land under paddy cultivation in the Cauvery irrigated districts, i.e. more than 8 lakh acres, is temple land. If all these are taken away from the farmers, not only will the livelihood of lakhs of families be affected, but the paddy cultivation in the Cauvery irrigated districts will also suffer unimaginably. Considering that, this action should be abandoned.”, Anbumani Ramadoss said urging the DMK government to waive off paddy lease.
In response to this the Hindu Munnani has asked if Anbumani Ramadoss would compensate for the loss incurred by temples if lease paddy conditions are waived off from farmers.
கோயில் விளைநில குத்தகை பாக்கியை செலுத்த அன்புமணி ராமதாஸ் தயாரா.?
தமிழக கோயில்களுக்கு வர வேண்டிய பல கோடி ரூபாய் குத்தகை தொகையை வசூலிக்க அரசு முறையாக எந்த நடவடிக்கையும் எடுக்கவில்லை.
நிதி பற்றாக்குறை காரணமாக பல கோயில்களில் ஒரு வேளை பூஜை கூட நடைபெறாத நிலை காணப்படுகிறது.
இந்நிலையில்… pic.twitter.com/Um0AToUYsS— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) October 13, 2023
Hindu Munnani State Secretary Sanil Kumar counters Anbumani Ramadoss’ remarks in his recent statement. Kumar criticized, “The government has failed to take adequate measures to collect the outstanding lease payments, amounting to crores of rupees, owed to temples in Tamil Nadu. Numerous temples suffer from a lack of funds, resulting in the inability to conduct essential rituals. Anbumani Ramadoss, advocating for the waiver of temple farmland leases. If you genuinely care for the farmers, are you willing to cover the unpaid lease dues?”
(With inputs from Daily Thanthi)
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