The incident was captured on mobile phone and the video was shared on social media.
A farmer association leader was slapped and hit with a sandal by a Tamil Nadu BJP worker for allegedly using abusive language against her. The incident was captured on a mobile phone and the video was shared on social media.
P Ayyakannu, who became the face of farmers protest in Delhi last year, was distributing pamphlets last evening outside the Tiruchendur Murugan temple in Tuticorin when he was stopped by Nellai Ammal, a BJP worker, who called him a "fraud".
The farmer, who is the president of the National-South Indian Rivers Linking Farmers Association, allegedly used an abusive word against the woman which angered her. She slapped him leading to a heated argument after which she waved a slipper at him.
The farmer, however, denies using the cuss word, but said that the woman had no right to stop them from distributing pamphlets to garner support for the cause.
"I didn't use the word. We are organising a rally to protest against genetically-modified crops and raise our demand for inter-linking of rivers. But this woman stopped us from distributing pamphlets and argued with us. The BJP is uncomfortable that we are criticial of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Ayyakannu said.
Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan said the farmer has violated the sanctity of the temple and he shouldn't have used abusive language inside the temple.
But the farmer says that they were outside the temple and alleged that the BJP is trying to foil their rally.
In April last year, farmers from Tamil Nadu camped outside the Jantar mantar in Delhi to demand a loan waiver and drought-relief package. They also demanded constitution of Cauvery water management board.
The farmers shaved their heads, moustaches; held mice and snakes in their mouths; staged mock funerals and flogged themselves. They even carried skulls of farmers who committed suicide due to debt pressure and threatened to drink their own urine.