Intelligence agencies in Tamil Nadu are of the view that the 31-day old agitation being staged at New Delhi by farmers led by Ponnuchamy Ayyakkannu is being sponsored and supported by the same groups which were in the forefront of the Jallikkattu agitation in January and also in the demonstration against hydrocarbon project at Neduvasal.
“The Jantar Mantar agitation by the so-called Tamil Nadu farmers and the theatrics exhibited by them are to embarrass the Narendra Modi Government. Their agitation is sponsored and supported by the same groups which spearheaded the Marina Beach agitation in January demanding Jallikkattu,” a senior intelligence official told The Pioneer on Thursday.
The disclosure came following a hold up in Chennai on Thursday when a group of people resorted to traffic block along the arterial Mount Road which threw peak time traffic haywire for hours. “The agitators who were taken into custody by the police belong to the group of Jallikkattu agitators,” said the official.
He also pointed to news reports about classified intelligence dossier stating that Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) turning into sleeper cells which are working and plotting against the Government in potential collusion with foreign powers. The report had stated that millions of dollars which are made available to NGOs in India under the pretext for charity works are being diverted to frustrate the development policies of the Government.
Farmer leaders including Kattumannarkoil Kannan with whom this newspaper spoke to were unanimous in their view that Ayyakkannu is staging the demonstration at the instance of political wheeler dealers. “We all know who the people supporting Ayyakkannu are and would reveal it at the appropriate time,” said Kannan.
Tamilissai Sounderarajan, Tamil Nadu BJP chief, termed the Jantar Mantar agitation as a conspiracy to embarrass the NDA Government at the Centre. “Ayyakkannu claims his agitation is for inter linking the rivers in the country. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who had called on him, is totally against the inter linking of rivers. Moreover, Ayyakkannu could have convinced Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Opposition in lok Sabha to persuade the Karnataka Government to release the Cauvery water meant for Tamil Nadu. Instead of that he and other farmers are performing somersault and strip teasing before the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Sounderarajan.
A veteran farmers’ leader pointed out that there were lot of things which could be done in Tamil Nadu itself to mitigate the woes of the farmers. “Though the insurance schemes announced by the Centre are commendable, the benefits do not reach the farmers because of the discrepancies in the land survey numbers,” said the farmers’ leader.