Farmers Movement Archive

AAP demands compensation for ‘martyred’ farmers

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday demanded that the Central government pay a compensation of ₹1 crore and provide jobs to the kin of farmers who died while protesting against the three farm laws passed last year. AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh demanded that the Centre give the status of “martyr” to each of those farmers who “sacrificed their lives” while protesting against the “three black laws”. On Friday, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi announced that the government would pilot the repeal of farm laws. At least 700 farmers lost their lives during the nearly year-long protests, which began in the last week of November last year.“The government has decided to withdraw the three black farm laws because of their (Bharatiya Janata Party’s) defeat in the elections [the BJP lost three Assembly and one Lok Sabha seat in the Himachal Pradesh bypolls earlier this month]... Farmers and the people were teaching them lessons in elections. Narendra Modi’s egoistic government had to eventually bow down before the long struggle, strength and sacrifice of the farmers,” Singh said.AAP MLAs, councillors, office bearers and workers joined the protesting farmers at the Singhu border on Friday to congratulate, share sweets and celebrate with the farmers. AAP MLAs Sanjeev Jha, Ajesh Yadav, Bandana Kumari, Mohinder Goyal, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, Mukesh Ahlawat, Jarnail Singh, Azadpur Mandi chairman Adil Khan met the protesting farmers. In a statement, AAP spokesperson and co-in charge of the political affairs in Punjab Raghav Chadha also congratulated farmers. “It’s big victory for the farmers of the country. I congratulate the farmers for the success of their long struggle. An egoistic government of the country had to kneel down. We salute the farmers of the country and their “inquilab” (uprising) and pay tribute to those farmers who sacrificed their lives (during the protest),” he said. Last September, the government passed The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act in the Parliament.​​Farmers were deeply sceptical of the laws they said would leave them at the mercy of big corporations, which could rig down prices. They also feared the changes would dismantle a system of state-backed regulated markets which offered assured farm prices. Farm unions, largely from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been holding year-long sit-ins at four sites near Delhi’s borders: Singhu, Ghaziabad, Tikri, Dhansa, and also at Shahjahanpur (at the Rajasthan-Haryana border).

Hindustan Times

20-11-2021

Delhi