Chennai, Dec 23 (IANS): AIADMK's interim General Secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Friday criticised the DMK government for not including sugarcane in the Pongal gift items to ration card holders.

Demanding that the government provide sugarcane to each card holder, he also said that the DMK, while in opposition, had demanded Rs 5,000 to be paid to each ration card holder during Pongal and asked it to fulfill the demand of the ration card holders.

In a statement, the AIADMK leader said that there are reports of the sugarcane farmers resorting to agitations in several areas of the state.

AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran also came out against the government, saying that it had let down the sugarcane farmers of the state.

He said that sugarcane farmers had raised the crop, expecting the state government would procure the produce during the Pongal festival, and criticised the government for leaving these farmers in the lurch by not including the product in the Pongal gift.