Salem: A three-day State farmers conference of the “Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam”, the agricultural workers wing of the CPI, from February 11, 2019, will be held at Salem, the State CPI secretary, R. Mutharasan said.
The farmers conference will take important decisions on a range of issues affecting agriculture, Mr. Mutharasan said speaking to reporters here on Tuesday. The rapid rise in rural indebtedness, the Central government not keeping up its poll promise of doubling farmers income, the 60 per cent rise in agriculture inputs in recent months including that of fertilizers and pesticides, farmers caught in a “debt trap” with being unable to pay back their cooperative societies loans on the one hand and drying up of agricultural credit on the other hand, besides the dismal water management in the Cauvery delta districts this year by the Tamil Nadu government this year, will be among the critical issues to be discussed.
The resolutions to be adopted will be “politically significant” in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the CPI leader said, adding, the ruling AIADMK was in no mood now to face the by-elections due to the Assembly from 20 constituencies in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Mutharasan said his information was that the AIADMK was “afraid” that DMK would win most of the seats, a situation the ruling party wished to avoid.
The BJP government at the Centre also does not want the Edappadi K Palainiswami-led government to be disturbed in any way till the Lok Sabha polls, he added. Severe action should be taken against sexual offenders, the CPI leader said to a query.
