M K Stalin, president, DMK, has launched the 2021 Assembly election campaign from the farms. The Leader of Opposition commenced his campaign by calling on the agricultural farms in Kancheepuram early this week and interacted with farmers, especially women folks, who were working in the paddy fields.
Stalin did not make any speeches but focussed more on personal discussions with the farmers. He asked them about the returns which they get from farms and the financial assistance offered by the State and Centre. “The farmers are struggling to survive as the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre and the Edappadi Palaniswami Government in Tamil Nadu have made life difficult for them. They do not get subsidised seeds or fertilizers. The Banks refuse to py them loans and this make them turn to private lenders who charge unbelievable rates as interest,” said Stalin.
Many women were seen weeping in front of the DMK chief while they recounted the bitter experiences they had from Palaniswami Government. Stalin blamed the AIADMK Government for supporting the bills on Agriculture Reforms which were passed by both the Houses of Parliament.
“This is yet another mission by the Modi government to liquidate the farming community in the country. Once we come top power here in Tamil Nadu, we will safeguard the interests of the farmers.” Said Stalin.
DMK leaders said the party chief would tour the entire State and interact with the farmers in the first round of the campaign. “He wants to reassure the farmers in the State that DMK would stand by them and would offer all kinds of help to protect their interest,” said a source in DMK headquarters.
The Namakku Naame (By Us, For Us) roadshow by the DMK chief had helped the party to recover most of the lost ground in Tamil Nadu politics in 2016. Though Stalin had claimed of a change of government would happen in 2016, the DMK lost the election by a whisker and since then the party has been in a mission mode. The DMK swept the 2019 Lok Sabha election and wrested 13 out of the 21 assembly constituencies held by the AIADMK where byelections were held along with the Lok Sabha polls.
Early this week, the internal war in the ruling AIADMK came out in the open and this too has made things easy for the DMK.