After taking their protests to Delhi to highlight their demands, Tamil Nadu's farmers are planning for an electoral battle by filing 111 nominations from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency from where PM Modi is contesting.
Tamil Nadu farmers' leader and President of the National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association P Ayyakannu announced on Saturday that 111 farmers from the state will contest against PM Modi from Varanasi.
He claimed that the decision to contest the polls from UP was to urge the BJP to include in their manifesto their demands, including "profitable prices for farm produce," to get fulfilled. He added that the moment BJP assures in their manifesto that their demands will be fulfilled, the farmers will drop their decision to contest against Modi
In the light of that not happening, the farmers will go ahead and contest against the PM.
The decision to contest polls has the support of farmers from all over and also from the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.
On being asked why the demands are raised against BJP and not any other party, the leader claimed that it was because BJP is currently ruling and clarified that they have nothing against the party or the PM
However, parties like the DMK and the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam have assured full loan waiver, which is also one of the farmers'' demands, in their manifestos.
Ayyakannu claimed that the central government had promised to fulfill the demands of profitable prices for farm produce, loan waiver from all banks including nationalized, and cooperative and Rs. 5,000 pension for farmers over 60.
Lastly, he added that even in the least case if the BJP MP from Tamil Nadu Pon Radhakrishnan will agree to add the promise in the manifesto, they may think about reconsidering their decision.