Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP K. Kanimozhi said on Friday that the ongoing agitation by farmers in northern parts of the country, especially around Delhi, has been treated as a criminal activity by the Centre.
Talking to journalists on the sidelines of the DMK’s 11-member poll panel meeting with educationalists, trade unions and party workers here, Ms. Kanimozhi, who leads the panel, said that steel spikes have been sprayed along the route to prevent agitating farmers from entering the national capital. Farmers have to protect themselves from smoke bombs thrown at them by the security forces. “It’s worse. They are treated as terrorists by the Centre, which does not listen to the genuine grievances of the protesting farmers,” she said.
The DMK MP was responding to a query on the Ambala police (Haryana) that revoked the imposition of National Security Act (NSA), 1980 against the main office-bearers of farmers’ union and the protesters, the previous day (Thursday).
Taking a parallel view to the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the proposed SIPCOT expansion near Cheyyar town in Tiruvannamalai, she said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has taken a soft stand on the issue, adding that certain protocols should be followed before meeting the Chief Minister. Protesting farmers in Cheyyar have been demanding an audience with the Chief Minister to air their grievances. “Soon, ministerial officials at the Secretariat will meet the agitating farmers and sort out the issue,” she said.
Earlier, Ms. Kanimozhi received petitions from public representatives and interacted with partymen in the town. She said the committee would take up the issues that the entrepreneurs, trade union members, students, mentioned in their petitions, with Chief Minister M. K. Stalin. Later in the day, the committee held a similar meeting with the public in Arani town in Tiruvannamalai.
Some of the prominent people who participated in the Vellore meeting, included VIT’s founder-chancellor G. Viswanathan, Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar and DMK MP for Katpadi constituency, D.M. Kathir Anand.
