Palakkad(Kerala) | A section of farmers led by BJP held a protest, with their mouths gagged with black cloth, in the north Kerala district on Saturday claiming lack of paddy procurement by the government and mill owners.

Carrying BJP flags and with their mouths gagged, the protestors gathered near the Palakkad stadium and held up banners and placards seeking compensation for the agricultural loss suffered by farmers.

BJP state vice president C Krishnakumar, who was leading the protestors, said that 45 days have gone by since the harvest of paddy, but it has not yet been picked up by the government or mill owners.

"There is no response on the issue of paddy procurement from the government or officials' side," he told reporters here.

He further said that even the meeting under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's leadership with the mill owners did not have the desired results.

Krishnakumar also termed as "miniscule" the recent hike in the paddy procurement price.