Numerous farmer outfits have come together under the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigalin Poratta Kuzhu (Tamil Nadu Farmers Protest Group) and announced a state-wide protest on November 21.
This is for numerous issues including the acquisition of farmers’ land for development of industrial parks and for removal of all the police cases filed against them.
Recently, some of the farmers protesting in Tiruvannamalai against the acquisition of their land for a SIPCOT industrial park, were arrested under the Goondas Act.
This was slammed by various political leaders, including BJP leader K Annamalai. On November 17, Stalin issued an order to drop the provisions of the Goondas Act against six of the seven farmers.
Making the announcement about the protest on November 21, leader of a famers’ outfit, PR Pandian, told media on Saturday they welcomed the TN government’s order to revoke the Goondas Act on the farmers in Tiruvannamalai. However, he stated that the government was trying to create enmity within the farmers for their own political gain and this was not acceptable.
One of their other requests to the TN CM was that Minister for Public works, Highways & Minor Ports EV Velu, Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police Karthikeyan, and Tiruvannamalai District Collector B Murugesh be suspended as they did not allow the Tiruvannamalai farmers to protest and arrested them under the Goondas Act.
On November 29, they would have a mass hunger strike in Chennai in solidarity with the protesting farmers in Triuavannamalai.