Chennai, 24 November (H.S.) : The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) staged a protest on Sunday, condemning the Union government's rejection of the Tamil Nadu state government's request to relax the moisture content norms for paddy procurement. This demonstration in Thanjavur marked the first leg of a planned two-day protest in the Delta districts, with the second part scheduled to take place in Tiruvarur on November 24.

The protest was prompted by the Centre’s decision to maintain the current permissible moisture level in paddy at seventeen per cent, despite the state's plea to raise it to twenty-two per cent. During the agitation, alliance members, including representatives from the Congress and Left Parties, raised slogans against the BJP-led government, criticizing what they called a hostile attitude toward the farmers. They demanded that the Union government immediately cease ignoring the plight of the agricultural community.

Chief Minister M K Stalin had previously written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 18, urging him to issue the necessary orders to allow the state to meet its target of purchasing sixteen lakh metric tons of paddy during the current Kharif season.

The Chief Minister emphasized the urgency of relaxing the moisture content norms, especially since Central teams had already assessed the situation on October 25. The Union government's subsequent rejection of this appeal led the Secular Progressive Alliance to announce the protest.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary