“See those coffins of the nine Manipur tribal people? Like them, we will die here and refuse to be moved till the Prime Minister meets us and heeds our demands,” said a protesting farmer from Tamil Nadu, pointing at an adjoining tent housing tribal communities from Manipur who have been protesting for close to two years now.

As the dharna in the Capital by drought-hit farmers from across Tamil Nadu completes 30 days, some of them sound heart-broken, but determined. “Even the President (of India) met us, but the Prime Minister refuses to see us. Are we untouchables? Why are we being treated like second-class citizens?” The farmers said they had petitioned the Prime Minister five times, in vain. Expressions of solidarity with the farmers protesting in the soaring temperatures of Delhi have been trickling in from local Tamil communities and from farmer organisations across India. On Thursday, two advocates from Uttar Pradesh landed up with 80 water bottles, 50 dozen bananas, 30 kg apples and 75 kg oranges. “We came yesterday and wanted to give cash support, but the farmers refused to accept cash,” one of them told BusinessLine, adding that he himself hailed from a farming family and was upset by the Centre’s “insensitivity”.

The Tamil Nadu farmers, who mainly grow paddy, tomato, corn and sugarcane, have been demanding a drought relief package of ₹40,000 crore, farm loan waiver, the establishment of a Cauvery Management Board, remunerative prices for farm produce and networking of all rivers by a Smart Waterways Project.

“If we are given remunerative prices, we will not ask for waiver,” said P Ayyakannu, President of the National-South Indian Rivers Linking Farmers Association. His son, he said, had ‘threatened’ him against doing farming, on which he loses money.

Noting that the Uttar Pradesh government had recently waived farm loans, Ayyakannu said the drought situation in Tamil Nadu was far worse than in Uttar Pradesh.

“A drought so severe was seen (in Tamil Nadu) 140 years ago,” he said. “Out of 100 wells, 98 have dried up. UP at least has the Ganga and the Yamuna: what do we have? Not a single drop from the Cauvery has come our way.

Last year, some 100 acres were cultivated; this year, it’s down to just 28 acres.” he said, adding that the State government had written off ₹7,000 crore cooperative loans with banks.

“We are the backbone of India. We are an agricultural country, so why can’t the Centre hear our cry of help ,” he asks, tears welling up in his eyes.

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