Protesting Tamil Nadu farmers on Saturday further intensified their agitation by drinking urine, as they continued to urge the Centre to waive farm loans and provide drought relief.
There were conflicting claims whether the farmers, protesting for the 40th day in the national capital, actually drank urine. P Ayyakkannu, who spearheads the agitation, said, “The Union government is not giving water, so we are consuming our urine.”
Police later met Ayyakkannu, who said the cops advised against the farmers drinking their own urine. He said the farmers would only collect their urine in a bucket and send it to Tamil Nadu with a representative.
Two farmers sipped their urines for the benefit of the TV cameras. “This is do-or-die. We know our health can get affected. But we do not have much choice,” one of them said.
Ayyakkannu said the farmers are within their rights to collect their urines though they may not be allowed to drink.
“We did not get water or justice in Delhi (as the government has not formed Cauvery Management Board, or paid heed to other demands). So we will take our urine back home... We have no water there,” he added.
Their protest went up a notch on April 10 when they stripped before the Prime Minister’s Office pressing their demands. Indeed, over the last four weeks, the group of men from Tamil Nadu have clad in green dhotis and turbans, carrying human skulls alleged to be of the farmers who have committed suicide due to mounting debts.
Their strange protest methods have lured several leaders to Jantar Mantar, the venue of their continuing agitation.
Published 22 April 2017, 08:53 IST