Farmers Plan To Hold Government Accountable

Away from the glare of the mainstream media the farming community has been persistently working to put the governments on the defensive over the agrarian issues. The initiatives of the farmer organisations are on at both the national and the state levels.

On one side there is an initiative to further strengthen the bonds with the central trade unions (CTUs) to make the ‘struggle’ a broad based exercise and on the other there are state specific initiatives being carried out. This includes the call given to ‘Punish and Expose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’ in the state where Assembly elections are on the cards.

At a recently held joint meeting the CTUs and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) which is an umbrella organisation of farmer bodies across the country, expressed their anguish over the fact that the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government despite on weak footing due to downsizing in general elections continues pursuing ‘the anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and pro-corporate’ agenda.

They said the Union Budget has ignored their agenda and also betrayed the expectations of the unemployed youth.

Deciding to intensify the struggles in the coming period and take the unity to the grassroots, they announced that the ruling party at the centre along with its allies would be confronted in the forthcoming assembly elections in four states and would conduct joint campaigns to keep them out of power.

As a part of their continuing programme the SKM assured an all out-support and solidarity to the CTUs’ programme to observe September 23 as Black Day to mark the passing of the three labour codes in September 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The meeting condemned the forcible installation of smart metres and expressed full support to the agitations against this installation. The meeting demanded from the government for removal of goods and services tax (GST) on premium and benefit, medical insurance and also that on agriculture,” an SKM spokesperson stated.

It was announced that November 26 will be marked by a nationwide mass mobilisation to mark the farmers’ march to the national capital for withdrawal of the now withdrawn farm laws. The CTUs and SKM also extended support to the strike call on August 28 given by United Forum of Bank Unions against the attacks on unions and the policies of privatisation of this strategic sector.

Meanwhile, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) that is a part of the mobilisation for ‘Delhi Chalo’ push launched in February this year has announced a "Rajasthan Kisan Adivasi Mazdoor Sammelan" on September 8 at Jaipur. This is the second such convention after the one previously held in Delhi.

The KMM and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non Political) cadres have been camping at the borders of Punjab and Haryana for the last six months.

On August 17, the SKM held a state level convention in Ranchi where farmer representatives from all over Jharkhand came together to announce that they would be carrying out a protest on September 25 in front of the Parliament to highlight the terror of elephants besides airing resentment against the moves by the government on ‘corporatisation of agriculture’.

Former Parliamentarian and state unit chief of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Bhuvaneshwar Mehta said that despite having more than despite Jharkhand possessing 40 % of the country’s mineral wealth, it is facing maximum displacement, migration, poverty, unemployment and starvation.

Those present in the meeting highlighted the issues of drought, land loot, displacement, elephant terror, irrigation, forests being leased out etc. in Jharkhand. It was decided to submit a memorandum of demands to the Chief Minister Hemant Soren on September 3.

At the Central Kisan Committee of the AIKS held earlier this month at Jaipur, the president Ashok Dhawale had outlined the major tasks for the AIKS in the present political scenario in the country after the recent Lok Sabha polls.

“The return to power of the Narendra Modi regime clearly means that the same disastrous pro-corporate and neo-liberal direction of policies in the agrarian sector and all other sectors will be intensified. The best proof of this is this year’s pro-corporate and anti-people union budget.

“Our response obviously has to be the manifold broadening and intensification of our independent struggles on burning agrarian issues in all states,” he said.

Pointing out that the farmers had succeeded in making a political intervention in few of the states he added that there is much that the AIKS must do to create the desired political impact in other remaining states.

“Three vital points must be kept in mind in this regard. One is our conscious adherence to the mass line at all levels, of constantly going to and learning from the people. The second is to radically change our style of functioning to make it more democratic, responsive, and closer to the people.

“The third is to plan imaginative and effective forms of struggle, which will create an impact. By far the best example of this was, of course, the historic and victorious one year long SKM-led nationwide farmers’ struggle. Other recent examples were the eye-catching and successful peasant struggles led independently by the AIKS in Rajasthan and Maharashtra,” he added.

Dhawale further said, “In class terms, it has been our tried and tested policy that the fulcrum of our agrarian front is the unity of agricultural workers and poor peasants, with the middle peasants as close allies. It is on the basis of this class unity that we try to win over sections of rich peasants.”

Meanwhile, the Kisan Sabha in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh has also announced a state wide programme around the issues pertaining to the peasantry, primarily among which is the issue of adequate compensation for land acquired for various ‘development projects’.

At a daylong convention held in Mandi on August 18, senior leader Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar stated that while large scale land acquisition is taking place in Himachal Pradesh, the farmers and other affected people are not getting proper compensation.

Calling for the farmers and other affected people to organise themselves to get adequate compensation he said that the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 is not being implemented properly in the state.

Demanding compensation, restoration and rehabilitation under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, the Kisan Sabha announced to hold conventions in all districts and at local level alongside starting signature campaigns and giving memorandums to the local authorities.

Meanwhile, dharnas have been planned at the offices of the tehsil and sub divisional magistrates in Neerath, Kotgarh and Rampur on September 16, 17 and 18 to air demands of the people affected by the Sunni hydel project.

Kisan Sabha vice president Kushal Bhardwaj underlined that large tracts of agriculture lands are being acquired for building four-lane roads, other roads, railway lines, setting up tower lines, hydel projects, airports, industries and other construction.

He said the government or the companies engaged in the construction work are not resolving the issues of rehabilitation and also the damage to land outside the acquired area resulting from various activities on the former.