TN farmers protest against Farm Bills with chained hands, human skulls & noose around neck

Farmers in Tamil Nadu staged demonstrations in Trichy on Friday against the recent Farm Bills passed by the central government in the ongoing Monsoon Assembly Session. Farmers from National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers’ Association sat outside Collector's office in Trichy with human skulls, chained hands, and nooses around their necks to demonstrate against Agri Bills.

Several farmers' organisations stage protest

Meanwhile, several farmers' organisations are protesting against the farm bills passed by Parliament earlier this week as part of a nationwide strike. Farmers from states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka are protesting against the farm bills. The Protesting farmer organisations have blocked several national highways, including the Delhi-Meerut highway, Delhi-Amritsar highway, Karnataka-Tamil Naadu highway. Huge traffic jams have also been reported from Ayodhya-Lucknow highway.

Farmers in Karnataka have also staged demonstrations across the state on Friday as part of a 'bandh' call given to protest the 'anti-farmer' policies of the central and state governments. A large number of farmers from various parts of the state flocked to the state capital to take part in the demonstrations to register their protest against the amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act and the Karnataka Land Reforms Act.

Farmers in Punjab have also started a three-day rail blockade against the bills, squatting on tracks at many places. The farmer outfits have also decided to call an indefinite rail blockade from October 1. 

READ | Farmers in Karnataka protest "anti-farmer" policies

READ | Farmers begin protest in Punjab, Haryana over farm bills

PM says farm bills to benefit small, marginal farmers most

Hitting out at the Opposition at its attack on his government over the farm bills issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that those who always 'lied' to farmers are now 'shooting from their shoulders' and misleading them for their own political benefit.

Addressing BJP leaders and workers on the birth anniversary of the party's ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay, Modi asked them to reach out to farmers on the ground and inform them about the details and benefits of the new agriculture reforms and how these will empower them. Our ground connect will finish off the propaganda being spread about the reforms, he said.

Modi said small and marginal farmers, who constitute 85 percent of the peasant community, will benefit the most from these reforms which, he added, give them an option to sell their produce outside agriculture 'mandis' for a better price.

Attacking the Congress, which has been trying to mount a nationwide protest against these bills, Modi said hollow slogans were given in favour of farmers and workers for many decades since Independence and governments at the Centre and states were formed in their name. All that farmers and labourers got was a jumbled web of promises and laws, he said.

"They are spreading rumours. Saving farmers from such rumours and explaining the importance of the agriculture reforms is the responsibility and duty of all BJP workers because we have to make the future of farmers bright," Modi said.

The bills passed by Parliament are the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

READ | TMC farmers' wing protests against farm bills in Bengal

READ | Diljit Dosanjh shows his support for farmers protesting against Agriculture bills

(With inputs from Agencies)