The protest was held near Tiruppur Railway Station under the guidance of DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Published Sep 02, 2025 | 6:48 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 02, 2025 | 9:39 PM
INDIA protest in Tiruppur. (Supplied)
The opposition INDIA bloc staged a massive protest in Tiruppur on Tuesday, 2 September, against the Union government’s inaction after the United States imposed a steep 50 percent import duty on Indian goods, crippling the knitwear industry.
The protest was held near Tiruppur Railway Station under the guidance of DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Speakers recalled that Tiruppur’s knitwear sector had already suffered from demonetisation, GST burden, and the COVID-19 pandemic, but was revived under the DMK government through rapid interventions, with exports crossing ₹45,000 crore annually.
They said this progress has now been derailed due to the BJP government’s foreign policy failures, which led US President Donald Trump to announce the sudden tariff hike on 27 August.
The 50 percent duty has resulted in an estimated ₹3,000 crore export loss for Tiruppur, threatening the livelihoods of more than six lakh direct workers and three lakh indirect workers. Exporters, unable to execute or divert orders, are now struggling with unpaid loans and mounting interest. If US buyers divert orders to other countries, regaining them will be nearly impossible, they warned.
The protest drew wide participation from exporters, small and medium business owners, trade unions, and cadres across alliance parties including the DMK, MDMK, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), KMDK, MMK, TVK, IUML, MNM, and others.
Top leaders present included DMK Deputy General Secretary A. Raja, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, VCK President Thol. Thirumavalavan, MPs K. Subbarayan and Su. Venkatesan, KMDK’s E.R. Eswaran, MMK’s Jawahirullah, TVK’s Velmurugan, IUML’s Mohammed Abubacker, MJK’s Thamimun Ansari, MNM’s R. Thangavelu, Adithamizhar Peravai Founder R. Adhiyaman, and Forward Bloc’s S. Karnan.
DMK Western Zone In-Charge and former Minister V. Senthil Balaji anchored the protest and raised slogans against the Union government, energising cadres and symbolising the alliance’s unity in western Tamil Nadu.
The protest demanded immediate relief from the Centre, including tax concessions and emergency support, to protect Tiruppur’s knitwear economy from collapse.
