Press Release – November 1, 2020.
Massive Unity of Farmer Organizations from all over India Achieved.
Lacs of Farmers will participate in Massive Rasta Roko on November 5 and Delhi Protest on November 26 and 27.
AIKSCC has announced a massive 4 hour “Rasta Roko Protest” on November 5 all over the country and a “Delhi Chalo” on 26 and 27th November to force the central govt to withdraw the 3 anti Farmer pro Coroporat, pro MNC Farm Acts and the Electricity Bill 2020.
The November 5 Rasta Roko shall be operational from 12 noon to 4 pm and other forms of protest while the Delhi Chalo has been planned with movement on foot and by tractors.
These decisions were taken in the AIKSCC Working Group physical meeting in Delhi and a meeting of more than 50 organizations from Punjab and Haryana on 26-27 October, increasing the canvass of protest against these laws. Several state level protests too have been planned in Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and other states.
Of the 3 Farm Acts, the Contract Farming by Corporate and Mandi Bypass laws prescribe middlemen to collect farmers, to aggregate crops, to supply inputs of companies, to check quality of produce, to conduct online trading. This is a Corporate and middlemens’ law, which the Prime Minister calls freedom from middlemen.
They link crop prices to Online rates and deny MSP. They do not provide for govt procurement of crops which will lead to winding up of govt storage and privatization of FCI godowns.
The Essential Commodities Amendment removes food items from general list of Essential Commodities, linking it to ‘Extraordinary Conditions’. This will lead to winding up of PDS, which the law says is ‘for the time being in force’.
All in all these laws will lead to Corporatization and MNCization of Agriculture, steep rise in food prices and handing over of India’s food security to Corporates linked to foreign powers. This is the most serious attack on India’s sovereignty.
The new Electricity Bill is targeted to withdraw all subsidized energy to farmers and poor people, making the rates charged from farmers and 5 star hotels and between small shopkeepers and Malls at the same rate.
Dr. Ashish Mital
General Secretary, AIKMS
Working Group Member, AIKSCC