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Tamil Nadu farmers call off their 41-day protest

Last Updated 23 April 2017, 14:34 IST

After 41 days of bizzare protests, Tamil Nadu farmers seeking drought relief on Sunday suspended their agitation following an assurance from Chief Minister E Palaniswami.

Palaniswami, who had met the protesting farmers Sunday morning, took up their demands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Ayog. Soon after, P Ayyakannu, the leader the protesting farmers, announced the suspension of their agitation till May 25.

“If our demands are not fulfilled we will start our protest again after May 25,” Ayyakannu told reporters at Jantar Mantar, the popular protest site that has been their home for the last 41 days.

The Tamil Nadu government made special arrangements by organising a separate railway coach in Tamil Nadu Express that leaves Delhi on Sunday night so that the farmers could reach their home town.

Over the past 41 days, the farmers have tried to attract attention to their cause by displaying human skulls – purportedly of farmers who had committed suicide –, walked naked near the Prime Minister's office, held live rats in their mouths, organised mock funerals and even drank urine.

This group of men from Tamil Nadu have worn green dhotis and turbans forced the state's political leaders to register their presence at the protest venue. They have been demanding a Rs 40,000 crore drought relief package, farm loan waiver and setting up of the Cauvery Management Board by the Centre.

The farmers had earlier called on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, and others. They also met Pon Radhakrishnan, Union minister of state for road transport and highways, who is the only elected BJP MP from Tamil Nadu.

The Centre says it released an amount of Rs 2014.45 crore to the state. The assistance to Tamil Nadu includes Rs 1748.28 crore for drought (Kharif), Rs 264.11 crore for cyclonic storm 'Vardha' and Rs. 2.06 crore under National Rural Drinking Water Programme.

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(Published 23 April 2017, 06:12 IST)

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