Bharat Bandh: Farmer bodies stage protests in TN

In solidarity with the nationwide strike demanding repeal of the Centre's farm laws, farmer bodies, trade unions, including those backed by the ruling DMK and Left parties on Monday staged protests across Tamil Nadu.

Normal life was, however, not affected with public and private transport functioning as usual. Retail outlets, commercial establishments, banks and government offices also were open.

In a protest held here, State Secretaries of the CPI and CPI (M), R Mutharasan and K Balakrishnan respectively, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan and functionaries of the DMK affiliated Labour Progressive Federation participated.

They raised slogans, demanding that the Central government repeal the three contentious farm laws, not privatise public sector enterprises and sought a roll back of the fuel price hike.

Similar protests were held in several parts of the state, including Coimbatore, Madurai, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli and Kanyakumari in which office-bearers and elected representatives of the ruling DMK, Congress and Left parties participated. P R Pandian, leader of the Tamilaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam (TNCVS), who led a protest and attempted to block trains at Thanjavur, said the Central government was only trying to divert the farmers stir issue and continued to refuse to withdraw the three 'anti-farmer' farm legislations. Rather than favouring farmers, the Centre is for a ''few big business owners'' and ''farmers are conducting a movement for a year, similar to the struggle for independence,'' he told reporters. Demanding unconditional scrapping of farm laws, farmers led by Pandian took out a rally and were detained for some time when they attempted to block a train and later allowed to leave by police personnel. The TNCVS is affiliated to a coordination committee of all farmers associations in Tamil Nadu.

The Marxist party backed Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Communist Party of India affiliated All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) were among the trade unions that took part in the state-wide protests.

The DMK's agricultural wing had days ago appealed to people, farmers and other sections of society to throw their weight behind the Bharath Bandh.

In Tiruchirappalli, President, National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association, P Ayyakannu and volunteers who attempted to block a train near a bridge over the river Cauvery were removed from that location, detained in a marriage hall and permitted to disperse later.

Similarly, farmers who attempted to stage a rail blockade at Tiruchirappalli Fort railway station were whisked away by police personnel.

Till afternoon, shops and establishments were shut in parts of Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta zone, like Tiruvarur and Tiruthuraipoondi.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)