Chennai, Jan 22 (PTI) AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition K Palaniswami on Thursday led a walkout of his party MLAs from the Tamil Nadu Assembly, accusing the DMK government of suppressing the voices of the opposition and neglecting the plight of nearly 40,000 poultry farmers currently on a warpath.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Palaniswami launched attacked the Speaker for allegedly denying permission to raise urgent public interest matters during Zero Hour.
“As the Leader of the Opposition, it is my duty to bring the people’s grievances to the House. However, this government is acting with a dictatorial mindset, refusing us permission to speak on the critical issues facing 40,000 farmer families and over five lakh workers involved in the broiler poultry industry,” he said.
The LoP highlighted that poultry farmers have been protesting for six months, demanding an increase in rearing wages from Rs 6.50 to Rs 20 per kg to offset the skyrocketing costs of electricity, labor, and maintenance.
“The government twice promised tripartite talks — on January 7 and January 21 — but backtracked both times. It is now clear that the DMK is acting in favour of private corporations rather than the suffering farmers,” he alleged.
The AIADMK leader also raised alarms over the “complete breakdown” of law and order and the spread of Chikungunya across several districts, including Chennai, Kanchipuram, and Tenkasi. PTI JR JR SA
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