The members of Samyuktha Kisan Morcha organised a protest condemning the alleged trade deal in the agriculture sector between India and the United States of America and burnt pictures of US President Donald Trump.
During the protest held at Tirumangalam in Madurai district on 13th August, they raised slogans such as “We will burn the copies of the Indo–US trade deal” and “We will burn Donald Trump and Narendra Modi”. Protestors set ablaze effigies of Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also spat on and slapped a photo of the Prime Minister with slippers. The protestors later clashed with BJP cadres.
The farmers’ organisation Samyuktha Kisan Morcha alleged that India and the United States of America were about to sign a trade deal in the agriculture sector.
Samyuktha Kisan Morcha Madurai district secretary Santhanam and Tamil National People’s Front general secretary Marx Daniel Pandian led the protest. Cadres of Samyuktha Kisan Morcha, Makkal Athikaram, Makkal Kalai Ilakiya Kazhagam, and other Left organisations participated.
Burning effigies and photos of Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the protest, Tamil National People’s Movement general secretary Marx Daniel Pandian shouted slogans against the Central government and PM Modi. Makkal Athikaram’s state deputy secretary Gurusamy Sivakamu Nagaraj later shared a post on his Facebook timeline stating: “The Samyuktha Kisan Morcha organised a protest to denounce the Indo–US trade agreement in the agricultural sector, and the protest slogans were ‘We will burn the copies of the Indo–US trade deal, we will burn Modi and Trump’.”
BJP supporters confront SKM and Makkal Athikaram cadres. On witnessing SKM and Makkal Athikaram cadres burning pictures and effigies of Prime Minister Modi and raising intimidating slogans against him, BJP cadres strongly condemned their actions, confronted them, and demanded that police arrest the SKM and Makkal Athikaram cadres immediately. The police reportedly detained the cadres, held them under custody at a marriage hall, and later released them.
Observers claim that these kinds of protests are misleading innocent farmers and are merely attempts to blame the NDA government without reason. Moreover, the Prime Minister has reiterated on several occasions that the government is not going to compromise the interests of Indian farmers. Yet, some Left-leaning organisations attempting to burn the effigies of PM Modi is simply an act of hatred.
