Farmers Movement Archive

Unions hail decision, say stir over MSP to continue

Jaipur: Rajasthan farmer unions have welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to repeal the three farm laws. However, they said protest will continue till farm laws were formally repealed in the parliament and a law was passed to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce.They stated that it was a victory of democracy and farmers, a one-year-long movement, and a defeat of dictatorship. In a statement, the Rajasthan wing of Samyunkt Kisan Morcha (SKM) stated it will wait for the announcement to take effect through appropriate parliamentary procedures. "If this happens, it will be a historic victory for the farmers’ movement that has been going on for a year. However, around 700 farmers have been martyred in this struggle. The stubbornness of the central government is responsible for these avoidable deaths, including the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre," it stated."SKM also wants to remind the Prime Minister that the farmers’ movement is not just about repealing the three black laws, but also ensuring legal guarantee of MSP for all agricultural produce. This important demand of the farmers is still pending. Similarly, the Electricity Amendment bill is yet to be withdrawn," the statement issued by Sanjay Madhav added.Rajasthan’s peasant leaders, such as Rajaram Meel, Ram Pal Jat and Himmat Singh, also welcomed the decision of the Centre, but emphasised their demand to ensure a legal guarantee of MSP for agricultural produce. Convenor of Hanumangarh’s Grameen Kiaan Majdoor Samity (GKS), Ranjit Singh Raju, said, "This is a victory of democracy and the defeat of dictatorship. This is a good sign for the whole country. We will continue our protest till the farm laws are repealed in the Parliament and a gazette notification is issued in this regard. Laws should be framed respecting the sentiments of the people of the country."Ram Pal Jat of Kisan Mahasabha said, "This is a huge victory of the farmers’ long movement. The Prime Minister should legalise MSP now. Regardless of the pressure under which he (the PM) made this announcement, this is in the right direction. The fact that he said the laws would be repealed in the next session of parliament can’t be disbelieved." Another farmer leader, Himmat Singh, said, "The protest at Shahjahanpur will continue till the farm laws are repealed in Parliament and MSP is legalised. Also, this is a victory for the movement and all those martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for this struggle." Rajaram Meel, state president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said, "They (government) succumbed under pressure because they (BJP) knew they would be defeated in upcoming elections (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and other states)."

The Times of India

2021-11-20

Jaipur