Farmers have been staging a sit-in protest near the service road by the Samayapuram School Bridge in Tiruchirappalli district, demanding that all crop loans taken from cooperative banks be waived. Agriculture Minister Vinod and Tiruchirappalli in-charge Minister Ramesh, among others, held talks with the farmers, urging them to end the protest.

Speaking then, Minister Ramesh said, "In the first 100 days after assuming office, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has announced and implemented various schemes keeping in mind the welfare of farmers. Regarding the demands put forward by the farmers, yesterday nine senior ministers, including the Public House Department and URD (URD) ministers, sat together and held detailed discussions in a cordial manner. The government is fully willing to fulfill the demands. The Chief Minister is very clear that farmers should not be affected in any way."
Approximately Rs. 3,000 crore in additional funds is required to implement the additional welfare schemes and loan waivers that farmers are currently demanding. Therefore, in line with the government’s current financial position, it is necessary to conduct a detailed review with the Finance Department and departmental officials to determine which funds can be reallocated and how the financial burden can be managed. Only after preparing this review report can it be submitted to the Chief Minister and a final decision be taken. Since by-elections have currently been announced in two constituencies and are under way, the government cannot immediately issue new announcements or guarantees in accordance with the election code of conduct.

Therefore, 20 days’ time is needed to review the financial situation. Once the by-election is over, the Chief Minister will issue a clear announcement on this. It was made very clear in yesterday’s meeting itself, through senior ministers, that no official should pressure farmers or put them in distress.
This government fully respects the sentiments and demands of the farmers, who are the backbone of Tamil Nadu. The government is always ready for talks. It has not refused by saying that nothing can be done. Therefore, I request the farmers to temporarily postpone the protest and give this 20-day period needed for the officials’ inspection work and for the Chief Minister’s decision," he said. Meanwhile, while the minister was speaking, there was a commotion, and the minister left in the middle of it.

Speaking to reporters after the minister left, Ayyakannu said, "At the Chennai talks, it was stated that cooperative agricultural loan waivers would require not Rs. 3,000 crore, but a total of Rs. 9,000 crore. The ministers had said they would discuss this with the Finance Department and the secretaries and deliberate on it within a week. However, in the meeting, the ministers did not clearly announce details such as the waiver amount and the extent of loan waiver for small and marginal farmers as well as large farmers."
As the dissatisfied farmers shouted, the ministers got angry and left. Therefore, the farmers are now going to gather and discuss and decide whether to accept the government's request for a 20-day extension or continue the protest," he said.