Farmers Movement Archive

Bengal result vindicates stand of farmers: Kisan Morcha

Bathinda: The West Bengal assembly poll results have vindicated the stand of farmers in a clear rejection of the divisive communal politics of the -BJP, according to Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the protests against the Narendra Modi-led government’s three farm laws. The umbrella body of agitating farmer unions said at a time when the country was facing a crisis in terms of its crumbling healthcare infrastructure “due to lack of planning and innocent citizens falling prey to the callous attitude of this government”, the BJP had tried to spin its communal polarisation agenda as the main issue confronting voters. “The protesting farmers have proven convincingly that BJP’s communal polarisation agenda is unacceptable; this is a unified struggle of citizens to not only protect their livelihood but also the secular fabric of the country. Our campaign with state assembly voters asking them to punish BJP stands vindicated. BJP’s efforts not to make the anti-farmer agri-marketing laws and the anti-worker labour codes as election issues have failed. We congratulate the citizens of West Bengal for responding in our support,” the Morcha said in a statement on Sunday evening. “We now appeal to farmers from all over the country to strengthen their resistance and join the movement in greater numbers. This movement will continue to spread the democratic values that our Constitution espouses and will further strengthen itself till our demands are fulfilled,” the Kisan Morcha said. The BJP should listen to the mandate of people in different states, which includes the sentiment of farmers, and immediately repeal the three agricultural laws and give a legal guarantee to the minimum support price (MSP), the SKM said. “We are again clarifying that this agitation will not end until our demands are met. At the same time, the social boycott of the BJP leaders and their allies will continue. The government, instead of making peasants and workers their enemies, should fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the livelihood and economic crises engulfing the country.” The nine-member core committee of the Kisan Morcha on Sunday mourned the sudden death of young activist Momita Basu, who had come to the farmers’ dharna from West Bengal. Basu, who was active at the protest sites, was the first Covid casualty at the farmers’ protests. The leaders said at a kisan conference held at Noorpur-Bedi in Ropar, Punjab students’ union state president Ranveer Singh Randhawa, state senior vice-president Hardeep Kaur Kotla, Kirti Kisan Morcha leaders Bir Singh, Jagmandeep Singh Padhi and Rupinder Sandoya, Mistry Mazdoor Union leader Tarsem Singh Jatpur and singer Pamma Dumewal had been booked by the Punjab Police. A few days ago, the Moga Police had also registered a case against Sukhjinder Maheshri and Vicky Maheshri, both farmer leaders. Punjab government should stop disturbing the struggles of the people and cancel all cases lodged against the peasant leaders, otherwise, farmers will take this fight ahead, the Kisan Morcha said.

The Times of India

2021-05-03

Chandigarh