The AIKSCC has put forth two chief demands to the Centre – 50% profit margin over the cost of production and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
NEW DELHI: Thousands of farmers from across the country descended on Delhi on Monday for a two-day protest demanding a one-time loan waiver and increase in minimum support price for crops.
The farmers, under the aegis of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) comprising 184 peasant organisations, held a ‘Kisan Mukti Sansad’ at Parliament Street after marching from Ramlila Maidan.
All members in the mock parliamentary session were women, who spoke about their sufferings due to the “wrong and anti-farmer policies” of the government.
The agitators began their two-day protest after paying tributes to those killed in Mandsaur police firing, those who committed suicide and to the peasants of Yavatmal who died due to pesticide poisoning.Many farmers said they were under tremendous financial burden due to the fall in prices and lack of government help.
The Telugu Desam Party is also conducting a one-day protest on Monday in at Nalgonda district to raise the same issues along with asking for higher minimum support price (MSP) for farmers in Telangana.
Farmers from Tamil Nadu said they were deliberating over beginning a third round of protest in the national capital. At the protest, AIKSCC convenor V M Singh felicitated Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetty, who left the NDA, and former CPM MLA Amra Ram for contributing to farmers’ movements in Maharashtra and Rajasthan respectively.
“Every year the farmers of our country face a dual crisis, one is that they do not get a good produce, and when they do, they do not get fair prices for it. We are here for reminding the Narendra Modi government of their pre-poll promises made to the farmers,” said national president of Swaraj India political party and a member of the Swaraj Abhiyan, Yogendra Yadav.
