Farmers Movement Archive

Kisan sangharsh panel members’ stir enters second day; meet ministers in Chandigarh

Amritsar, September 29Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee continued with its indefinite dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office for the second day on Wednesday to putting forth various demands of the farmers.The farmer leaders also held a meeting with senior functionaries of the state government, including Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Agriculture Minister Randhir Singh Nabha and Lok Sabha member Jasbir Singh Dimpa in Chandigarh on Wednesday to discuss the issues.Committee’s general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said the meeting, which lasted over two hours, was held with the Agriculture Minister and others from the ruling government during which the issues faced by the farmers were discussed.He added that issues of payment of dues of sugarcane, compensation for cotton growers, withdrawal of FIRs against farmers, jobs for kin of the farmers who died during the farmers’ agitation, waiving of Rs 1,200 electricity bills and increase of condition of one kilo watt to two kilo watt for labour families had been accepted by the state government.Pandher said so far the government had not accepted the demands of complete loan waiver for farmers and labourers and constitution of Basmati Trading Corporation.He said the committee’s core leadership would be meeting on Thursday to chalk out the future course of action and the assurances given by the Congress leaders would be put before the members after which a decision would be taken.Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, a farmers’ organization which has its roots in the Majha belt, is not a part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a consortium of 32-farmer unions to fight against the three agriculture laws. While it had participated in the Bharat Bandh call given by SKM for September 27, it also continued with its parallel actions.Even during the bandh, it had resorted to blocking railway tracks, which was not a part of the SKM’s plan. The organisation is trying to preserve its independent identity along with toeing the line set by SKM when it feels necessary.Women stage dharnaTarn Taran: Several women protested on the second-day of the three-day Pakka Morcha launched by the Kisan Mazdoor Sanghrsh Committee, Punjab. The women, with yellow coloured duppatas on their heads, participated in the morcha and staged a dharna organised in front of the office of the District Administration Complex (DAC) here.Ranjit Kaur Kallha, Devinder kaur, Ranjit Kaur Kot Budha, Kulwinder Kaur Walipur, Jaspinder kaur Manochahal were among the others who addressed on the occasion. The women leaders expressed their views regarding the three contentious farm laws.Lashing out at the prevailing drug menace, unemployment, lawlessness, police atrocities, discrimination with the women everywhere, the leaders called women folk to be united.They also challenged that they were ready to make any sacrifice to save their land and livelihood.The leaders said in case the meeting called by the state government under the chairmanship of Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Deputy Chief Minister, failed to resolve their issues, the morcha would be shifted to the rail tracks from September 30. The women leaders called all sections of the society to be united.The current demands of the organisation include government jobs with compensation to the families of the farmer who died while participating in the Delhi farmer agitation, security to women, 50 per cent reservation to women in the Parliament, waiving the total debt of the farmers and the mazdoors, cheap rate power to the domestic consumers, repealing of the power accord with the private companies, residential plots to the homeless labourers, jobs to the youths filling all the vacant posts in the government departments. — OC

The Tribune

2021-09-30