Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam district unit leaders and party cadre, in response to a call given by party president M.K. Stalin, on Saturday staged protests across the district opposing the Centre’s farm laws.
The party’s urban east unit in-charge N. Karthik led the protest in the city near the Coimbatore South Taluk office, urban west unit in-charge Payya Gounder led the protest near Saravanampatti, east rural unit in-charge Senapathi in Malumichampatty, rural south unit in-charge Thendral Selvaraj in Pollachi and rural north unit in-charge C.R. Ramachandran joined Ms. Kanimozhi in Mettupalayam.
The cadre held placards and raised slogans against the Central Government and AIADMK government in the State and expressed solidarity with the farmers protesting in Delhi.
The leaders criticised the AIADMK government for extending support to the three farm laws and urged the Centre to repeal the laws.
The laws, that the Centre had passed, would only favour corporate companies and eventually pave away for doing away with the minimum support price system, they added.
Members of the Left parties staged a protest in Pollachi in which more than 150 cadre participated.
The CPI (M) staged a demonstration at Pollachi as part of the protest. They were arrested and detained at a wedding hall. Later, they were released in the eveing. The CPI (M) alleged that the police issued threats to the Students Federation of India members, who were taking part in the protest, and there was a tussle between the protesters and the police.
Members of the DMK and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) staged protests in Tiruppur.
Around 350 persons participated in the protest organised by the DMK, police sources said. DMK functionaries from the district participated in a black shirt protest and drove bullock carts at the venue. The Tiruppur City Police personnel detained all the protesters at a private hall and released them later, sources said.
Members of the CPI(M)-affiliated AIKS staged a protest outside the Tiruppur District Collectorate. Around 30 members participated, who raised slogans against the Central government for bringing the farm laws. A section of the protesters attempted to burn a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the spot and were stopped by the police personnel, sources said. All the protesters were arrested and detained in a wedding hall. They were released in the evening, according to the police sources.