Black Ribbons, Walkout: Farmers Allege CM Failed to Keep Poll Promise on Crop Loan Waiver

Tiruppur: Members of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association staged a protest and walked out of the monthly farmers’ grievance redressal meeting held in Tiruppur, demanding the complete waiver of crop loans in line with assurances made during the election campaign.

The meeting, chaired by Tiruppur District Collector Manish Naranevare at the District Collectorate, was attended by farmers from various parts of the district, who presented their grievances and demands before the authorities.

As a mark of protest, members of the association tied black cloths over their mouths during the meeting. They expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s recently announced crop loan waiver scheme, alleging that it fell short of the promises made to farmers during the election campaign.

According to the protesters, the scheme provides a full waiver only for crop loans up to ₹50,000, while farmers with loans of up to ₹1 lakh are eligible for a waiver of just ₹5,000. They argued that the announcement had disappointed farmers and failed to address the financial distress faced by the agricultural community.

The association further claimed that a complete waiver of crop loans for farmers owning up to five acres of land had been promised during the election campaign. They urged the government to honour that commitment and extend the waiver to other agriculture-related debts, including jewel loans and tractor loans.

After registering their protest, the farmers staged a walkout from the meeting. They also warned that agitation would intensify if their demands were not addressed.

The association announced that a statewide protest would be held on June 1, pressing for the complete waiver of crop loans and other agricultural debts.