As farmers from Punjab announced to lay siege to Delhi on February 13, pushing for several demands including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), 18 farmer and farm labour unions in the State are making efforts to mobilise farmers from other States for the proposed protest.
Members associated with 18 farmer and farm labour organisation have so far joined hands to ‘march’ to Delhi on tractor-trolleys from different parts of Punjab. Farmer bodies rued that the Union government has not been paying any heed to their long-pending demands. Hence, they are forced to resort to the protest.
“On February 13, thousands of tractor-trolleys and other vehicles will start their march from different parts of Punjab to Delhi on the line of our previous protest in 2020 against the now repealed farm laws. The purpose is to wake the BJP-led Union government, which is in deep slumber and has adopted an anti-farmer stance. We will continue our battle until our demands are met. Farmers from Punjab will throng Delhi unless the government fulfills our demands,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Punjab unit of Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee, one of the participants’ unions, and coordinator of the joint front for the proposed march and protest.
Mr. Pandher said as of now 18 members of farmer unions have announced to participate in the “march” and protest, but in the coming days the number of outfits would increase. “We are mobilising farmers from villages and are in touch with farmer outfits in other States as well. We are hopeful that besides Punjab-Haryana, farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will also participate in the protest. Also, farmers from the country’s southern and western States are expected to participate,” he said.
“We have been demanding the Union government to enact a Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee law for purchasing all crops based on the Swaminathan Commission report, also crop insurance schemes should be in the line with Swaminathan Commission report, a complete loan waiver for the farmers and farm labour, a monthly pension of ₹10,000 for 58-year-old farmers-farm labourers among other,” he said.
The key outfits that would participate in the protest include – Kisan Majdoor Sangarsh Committee, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari), BKU Ekta-Azaad, Azaad Kisan Committee (Doaba), BKU (Bheramke), BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), BKU (Sir Chotu Ram), Bharti Kisan Majdor Union, Kisan Maha Panchayat (Haryana), Pagri Sambhal Jatta (Haryana), Azaad Kissan Union (Haryana), Progressive Farmer Front, Aathrai Kissan Manch, Bhoomi Bachao Mohim, Joint Kisan Sabha and Rashtriya Kisan Sangathan among others.
“We also want the Union government to withdraw the Electricity Bill, 2020, which will only harm the agriculture sector and bring further financial distress to farmers. Also, the government should withdraw the amendments made in 2015 to the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. The police should withdraw cases filed against farmers during the 2020 protest on Delhi borders among others and compensation should be given to the families of those farmers who died during the protest,” he added.
