Withdraw cases against agitating farmers: AIKSCC

Statutory sanction to MSP for 23 crops sought

Farmers staging a demonstration at the Tehsildar’s office in Ongole on Thursday.

Farmers under the banner of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee(AIKSCC) staged a demonstration in front of the Tahsildar’s office here on Thursday, alleging that the BJP-led Central government was foisting false cases on their counterparts who had been agitating against the three farm laws in New Delhi.

Farmers led by AIKSCC Prakasam district convenor Ch. Ranga Rao urged President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene and direct the Central government to withdraw the cases booked against farmers since November last year. Farmers raised slogans to press their demand of statutory sanction to Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 23 crops during the protest organised on a call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.

“The BJP-led Central government should unconditionally withdraw the pro-croporate farm laws,” said All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Prakasam district unit secretary Vadde Hanuma Reddy.

Market intervention

The new laws has made the market intervention whenever the prices of farm produces fall below the MSP a thing of the past, said Congress farmers’ wing State vice-president V. Rajagopala Reddy. Making the situation worse for the farmers, the Centre is forcing them to fend for themselves at a time when agri-marketing firms are denying a fair price to farm produces, said Organisation for Protection of Democracy State vice-president Ch. Sudhakar, while referring to the plight of social forestry planters and tobacco growers in the district.