Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Cong. to take part in farmers' protest

By Our Special Correspondent

Chennai Oct. 11. The State Congress will participate in the stir, organised by farmers associations on Monday, in protest against the withdrawal of free power supply to farm pumpsets.

The TNCC president, S. Balakrishnan, and the working president, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, in a joint statement, said the party's farmers' wing president, K.N. Murukes, would take part in the protest as the scrapping of the free power scheme affected a large section of farmers and hut dwellers.

"As all political parties except those backing the ruling AIADMK were opposed to the withdrawal of free power supply, the Congress too will participate in the protest," Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The Federation of All-Farmers Associations, headed by K.P. Ramalingam, who is also the DMK's agricultural wing secretary, has called the protest before Tamil Nadu Electricity Board offices.

Blackflag stir

Our Madurai Staff Reporter reports:

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam has planned to show blackflag to the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, during her visit to Nagapattinam, scheduled for Monday, pressing the State Government to take steps to convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority.

In a statement, its State general secretary, K. Balakrishnan, alleged that the Chief Minister was "showing no concern" on an issue crucial to the State and had not taken even the ``minimum step'' of convening a meeting of all-parties and all-farmers' organisations to discuss the issue.

Welcoming the release of water from the Mettur dam, Mr. Balakrishnan said the supply would last only 20 days and in the event of the State failing to get adequate water from Karnataka, the crops would be affected.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• CMDA planning for traffic management in new Secretariat area
• Turn system introduced in delta
• Cong. to take part in farmers' protest
• Govt. moves HC to cancel bail in Kiruttinan case
• Advani view pernicious: Chidambaram
• Heroin seized, Sri Lankans held

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu