Farmers Movement Archive

Will soon launch indefinite ‘rail roko’ programme: Balbir Singh Rajewal

One of the most vocal voices against the recently passed farmers’ laws, national president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Rajewal, Balbir Singh Rajewal has termed these as ‘dark laws’ and said his organisation was part of the farmers’ ongoing struggle. The 77-year-old farmer leader talks to TOI’s Shariq Majeed on the main issues related to the ongoing protests Q: Are political parties trying to join the ‘struggle’ against the recently passed farmers’ laws? There is already a declared programme that anyone (from among them) can come and sit on protest, but they will not be allowed to carry their flags and will not be allowed to share stage with us. We will not let that happen and it’s our stage and we will not call them and we have decided to do so. Q: Do you see political parties competing with each other over farmers’ issues? We have already told them not to get involved in ‘competition politics’ as it will leave pain in our hearts. When SAD said they would hold a 2-hour protest despite our announced programme, which was for full day, I told them that this was not right and farmers didn’t like it. Q: If the central government calls you for a meeting, what will be your main demand? They will have to repeal the laws, only then things will work. We will not step back for anything less than that, nor more than that. These laws are pro-corporate and I haven’t seen such a thing in my life. I don’t even feel that it is written by some government officer and I said this on the first day that it appeared to have been written by some corporate house CEO. There is no provision which gives security to people as per law. Q: Will the government ask private players to pay more than the MSP for various crops? MSP doesn’t apply to other crops which these private players don’t buy. It is about procurement. If there are two mandis, of which is tax free and the other, where crops are sold with tax, private players in tax free mandi will offer more money to farmers. After farmers will stop going to inner mandis, where he has been going, these private players after paying him more money for 1-2 years will have the monopoly after the inner mandis close and then farmers will be exploited. Q: In the next less than two years Punjab will go to elections, do you think that political parties want agitation to continue? We are not pawns in the hands of these political parties as we have started this struggle. We have spent our whole life in such struggles. Q: Are all farm organisations together in this fight? 31 farmers’ organisations are united in the fight for farmers. There may be one or two organisations which are fighting for farmers on their own but majority are together in this struggle. When the chief minister called us for a meeting, we first held our meeting to decide issues and who will raise which issue. After that we analysed where we stood. Q: You have demanded that the chief minister calls a session to pass resolution against these laws. What has happened on that front? Agriculture is a state subject and trade within state is also a state subject. In Essential Commodities Act, once the list is made, neither there can be no addition or removal of essential commodities till the state government concerned doesn’t give consent, but they (central government) didn’t ask anyone. So they have violated the Constitution. Q: Do you think that the chief minister cannot implement it in the state and you have been also asking for the same? We have told him to call an assembly session and pass resolution that we will not implement it and make a parallel Act to it. He told us that Parliament had passed it, so we told him then what the assembly was for. If you cannot watch the interest of Punjab then for what you are sitting here. He told us that the governor would not sign it, we asked him to pass it and we 31 farm organisations will see how he will not sign. It is Punjab and not Bihar. Q: What is your next course of action? We will continue an indefinite ‘rail roko’ programme. We will decide the future course of action on October 7. We will go for social boycott of BJP leaders and stage protest in front of their houses and offices of certain corporate houses. We will close the toll plazas of government of India. If government of India and some corporates will come to loot us, we will ensure they suffer losses.

The Times of India

2020-10-04

Ludhiana