AIKMS, Peasants

Peasant March in Delhi on 20.07.2019

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) organized a protest black flag march today from Mandi house to Parliament Street today to declare Modi Govt’s announcement of MSP as a betrayal of peasants on the election promises made by the govt. AIKMS members from Punjab and UP participated in significant numbers. Nearly three thousand peasants participated in the March which started under the heavy downpour.

The peasants exposed the ‘historic’ betrayal of the Prime Minister who has claimed that he has fulfilled his poll promises on MSP, by raising Black Flags and shouting – Modi ka MSP Dhokha Hai. Central Government had promised the peasants fifty percent profit on comprehensive cost (C2 – as mentioned in Swaminathan Commission report) has adopted the same formula of A2 + FL by which Manmohan Singh Government had fixed MSP for crops.

Two Bills for Farmers’ Freedom From Debt and Guaranteed Remunerative Minimum Support Prices, prepared by AIKSCC (a co-ordination of 200 peasant organisations) and were scheduled to be tabled in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha today. The peasants also declared their No Confidence in Modi govt because of the betrayal.

While the Govt has restricted announcement of MSP to only 14 crops the peasantry has been demanding MSP for all crops including fruits and vegetables and Milk amongst other agriculture related produce. It is also demanding that the Govt should supply milk in Mid Day Meal programs to solve the problem of oversupply.

The Black Flag March was led by AIKSCC leaders and Working Group of AIKSCC including amongst others VM Singh (Convenor), Raju Shetti (MP), Dr. Ashish Mittal, Dr. Darshan Pal, Medha Patkar, Atul Anjan, Dr. Sunilam (former MLA), Prem Singh Ghelawat, Kavitha Kuruganti, Tejinder Virk, Avik Saha, Nirbhay Singh and Yogendra Yadav.

AIKSCC is also demanding a special session of parliament to discuss and pass these two bills and it has appealed to all 21 political parties which extended support to the two bills to ensure that these are taken up and passed.