DMK neglecting agriculture, Centre will go to any extent to protect farmers: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday accused the DMK government of neglecting agriculture and failing to ensure fair prices for farmers’ produce.

Speaking at the party’s farmers’ awareness conference organised by its Farmers’ Wing in Erode, he said agriculture is a State subject, but asserted that the Centre would go to any extent to protect farmers’ interests. Claiming that no major dam had been constructed in Tamil Nadu during 70 years of DMK rule, he said, “there is no water, no dams, but liquor flows like a river. The government is running on liquor revenue,” and called for a change in the State government.

Raising concern over the growing drug menace, Mr. Chouhan said children were being severely affected and stressed the need to defeat the DMK for the welfare of future generations.

He said the number of beneficiaries under the PM-KISAN scheme had declined from 40 lakh to 20 lakh and alleged that the DMK government failed to respond to the Centre’s request for beneficiary lists. He claimed that despite repeated letters to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin seeking regulation of land records and issuance of patta and chitta, there was no reply, as the state government feared Central funds reaching farmers directly. Though ₹6,000 crore had been released under the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, several women beneficiaries complained that they had not received the assistance, he said.

Referring to the sugar sector, Mr. Chouhan said that despite good sugarcane production in the State, several sugar mills had been closed. He announced that discussions would be held with the State government and that a special ICAR team would visit the region to interact with farmers and resolve their issues.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare initiatives, he said India had moved from 11th to fifth place in the global economy and would become the world’s largest economy by 2047. “Serving farmers is equivalent to worship. Protecting small and marginal farmers is Modi’s dream,” he said.

He also said loopholes in earlier rural employment schemes had been plugged and that every rupee under the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 would reach workers. Stressing that village development should not be decided from Chennai, he said gram sabhas must determine local development works.

MLA C. Saraswathi, State vice-president Khushbu Sundar, Farmers’ Wing president G.K. Nagaraj, district secretary (Erode South) S.M. Senthil, and other party functionaries were present.