Tamil Nadu farm loan waiver sparks criticism from TTTV Dinakaran

TTTV Dinakaran, secretary of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, condemned the Tamil Nadu government's new farm‑loan relief plan, calling it a betrayal of small and marginal farmers. He argued that the pre‑election promise to fully waive loans for farmers holding less than five acres was broken, as the announced scheme provides full waiver only for loans up to ₹50,000, with reduced relief for larger amounts.

The government outlined tiered relief: a ₹40,000 reduction for loans of ₹50,001‑₹60,000, ₹30,000 for ₹60,001‑₹70,000, and decreasing benefits up to a ₹5,000 concession for loans over ₹1 lakh. Dinakaran urged Chief Minister Vijayakanth to honour the original pledge and grant complete loan forgiveness to all small and marginal farmers who borrowed from cooperative banks.