Tiruchirappalli, Jan. 30 -- Farmers of Tamil Nadu led by Ayyakannu, State President of the National South Indian Rivers Linking Farmers' Association, staged a unique protest in front of the Trichy District Collectorate, accusing both the Central and State governments of betraying the farming community.

The protesters alleged that governments have failed to provide remunerative prices for agricultural produce, have not waived farm loans taken from cooperative banks in Tamil Nadu, and have not taken steps to store water by constructing check dams across the Cauvery River. Due to these failures, they claimed, farmers are once again being pushed into extreme distress, symbolically described as being driven to a situation of "eating rats".

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