TN farmers to double up as 'Aghoris' in UP to take on PM

Over 100 Tamil Nadu ryots will dress up like Aghori sadhus (Shiva followers) and seek alms in Uttar Pradesh to pay for filing their nomination to the Varanasi constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting, farmers' leader P Ayyakannu said Sunday.

This plan is to try and bring back focus on the plight of farmers besides collecting money (about Rs 25,000 for each nomination) for filing papers, Ayyakannu said.

"We plan to dress up like Aghori sadhus and seek alms," Ayyakannu, president of the National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association, told PTI in an interview.

Ayyakannu had said on Saturday that 111 farmers from Tamil Nadu would contest against Modi from Varanasi if the BJP does not assure them of fulfilling their demands such as profitable prices for farm produce and include it in the party manifesto.

Had the Centre fulfilled their demands following several protests in Delhi in 2017, he said they would not have been forced to resort to such "methods."
Ayyakannu said "our Aghori sadhus protest mode will help people realise that our demands are just and fair."