Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 8 : The representatives of agricultural associations, led by Deivasigamani, the convener of the Joint Movement of Tamil Nadu Agricultural Associations, met today with the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin.
During this meeting, they expressed their gratitude to Udhayanidhi Stalin, for conducting a protest in Thanjavur on behalf of the DMK and for raising his voice in the Assembly, while pressing various demands, including the declaration of the Delta region as a drought-affected area and the complete waiver of crop loans, according to the official X handle of the DMK ( Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party.
https://x.com/arivalayam/status/2086064875814744154
Furthermore, they conveyed their anguish that the arrest of the Leader of the Opposition by the police department of the Tamil Nadu Government, for fighting to assert the farmers' demands, has caused immense distress.
The 84 agricultural organisations in this joint movement are continuously staging protests in various regions, condemning the Tamil Nadu Government for deceiving farmers by not fully waiving crop loans.
In that regard, they requested him to continue extending support to their struggle and to continue raising his voice in the Assembly.
Udhayanidhi Stalin assured the agricultural association representatives that, following the path of Muthamil Arignar Karunanidhi and under the guidance of the DMK leader, he would continue to raise his voice in the Assembly as well as in the people's forum, and that he would forever stand as a steadfast support for the farmers.
This comes after Tamil Nadu Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister R Vinoth presented the state's Agriculture Budget for 2026-27 in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, a day after state Finance Minister Marie Wilson tabled the state Budget for the financial year 2026-27.
The Agriculture Budget comes against the backdrop of the state government's recent announcements aimed at supporting farmers.
On May 25, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay announced a waiver of crop loans of up to Rs 50,000 for marginal farmers who had borrowed from cooperative banks. He also announced a relief of Rs 5,000 for larger farmers who had availed crop loans through cooperative banks.