Thousands of farmers gathered at the Ramlila Maidan on Monday to demand a one-time complete waiver of all farmer loans, and fair prices for their produce.
Under the common umbrella of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), around 184 farmers’ groups from several States participated in the protest walk.
Yogendra Yadav, national president of Swaraj India and a member of the Swaraj Abhiyan, which has been working for farmers’ welfare for the past two years, led the march from Ramlila Maidan till Parliament Street for the ‘Kisan Mukti Sansad’.
Mock Parliament
The sansad was aimed to be a mock Parliament session to symbolically pass a Bill to completely waive farmer loans and to give the farmers the entitled cost for their produce, which would include at least a 50% profit margin.
“We are here to remind the Narendra Modi-led government of their pre-poll promises made to the farmers,” said Mr. Yadav, adding that the Swaminathan Committee had recommended some measures that the Centre needs to take to avert the agrarian crisis in India.
“This was a primary poll promise by the BJP before they came to power. It is written in their manifesto and the PM has on several occasions mentioned the implementation in his speeches,” he said.
The National Commission on Farmers was a panel formed in 2004, chaired by geneticist M. S. Swaminathan, to address the nationwide calamity of farmer suicides. Thirteen years since the recommendations of the commission were tabled, nothing has been done.
Fighting for their rights
Convenor of AIKSCC V. M. Singh said the farmers had come to the Capital to “snatch” from the government what is rightfully theirs.
“It is a farmer’s right to be paid for his hard work. The disregard for their work is what has caused the debts to pile up on them. We want to know why Modi is silent?” he said.
The mock parliament, composed of only women, was headed by social activist Medha Patkar. The sansad passed the two Bills, and the copies of the legislation were sent to the Prime Minister’s office in the evening.
“Kisan is an umbrella term used for farers, labourers, tenant farmers and also adivasis, whose rights are being marred by the tyrannical policy of the government. The Centre has displaced 10 crore farmers across India without providing them complete rehabilitation. There is a dire need of an alternative development policy,” Ms. Patkar said.
Manohar Lal, a farmer from Madhya Pradesh, said that it was the Centre’s job to implement pro-farmer policies as the State governments can do only so much in this case.
‘Govt doing nothing’
“Many of our farmer brothers have died in the last one year because they are not able to pay off the loans. The government can save our lives but they are doing nothing. It seems like they are encouraging such deaths. Isn’t this criminal” he asked.
