Tamil Nadu Opposition Protests Rise Over Farmer Grievances and Assembly Room Dispute

The Tamil Nadu Assembly Secretariat, under the TVK‑led government, has allotted a separate room to the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party. The space was carved out of the existing women MLAs' rest room, reducing the area available for women members. A request by the lone DMDK MLA for a separate room remains pending.

Opposition leader M. K. Stalin of the DMK accused the TVK government of betraying farmers, citing unmet crop‑loan waivers, delays on the Mekedatu dam issue, damage to kuruvai cultivation due to the closed Mettur dam, and the lack of an all‑party meeting on Cauvery water matters. He announced a large protest in Thanjavur on August 3, demanding firm steps to protect Cauvery water rights and a special relief package for delta farmers. The protest is slated for the same day Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is to meet Karnataka’s D. K. Shivakumar in Bengaluru for talks on Cauvery water sharing.