NEW DELHI: Seeking to increase pressure on the government ahead of Monday’s next round of talks, farmers’ unions said on Friday that they would intensify their protests further over the next two weeks, starting on January 6, if their main demands: the repeal of three central agricultural laws and legal guarantee for MSP – are not met at the meeting.
A day after announcing that an alternative to repealing laws was not feasible, they said the government should not take their demands “lightly.” Nothing less than “repeal of laws” would be acceptable to us, said the farmers’ unions.
“The claims that 50% of the problems have been solved don’t have much ground. Our two core demands are still pending. ‘Abhi to sirf poonch nikli hai, pura haathi baki hai’ (only the tail is cleared, the whole elephant is still stuck). The government has not even ‘in principle’ agreed on a legal guarantee for MSP, “said Yogendra Yadav, leader of Jai Kisan Andolan.
Yadav was addressing a joint press conference with union leaders on the Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border.
He said that if there is no satisfactory result on January 4, farmers will hold a tractor ‘march’ on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) highway on January 6. The tractor march was scheduled for December 31, which the unions had postponed in light of their talks with the government on December 30.
“We will announce a date next week on when we move from the Shahjahanpur border. We will link our protest programs to the success or failure of our ongoing talks with the government, ”Yadav said.
The usual venue of the farmers unions press conference will move from the Singhu border to the central part of the capital at the Press Club on Saturday, where a seven-member national coordinating committee of the ‘Samyukt Kisan Morcha’ would discuss to explain the farmers’ position in the context of their two remaining demands.
They would discuss how the government can take a hint from a private member bill on the MSP guarantee, which was introduced in the Parliament in 2018, instead of taking the committee route. The unions were of the view that the committee’s route would simply be a delaying tactic.
Farmers’ representatives during their talks with the government mentioned the private member’s bill on the MSP guarantee, and said that up to 21 opposition political parties had given their support to the bill during the discussion.
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, during the latest round of talks with unions on Wednesday, urged them to suggest any alternative to repeal laws that the coordinating body of farmers’ organizations, AIKSCC, rejected on Thursday after its preliminary discussion on the topic.
Tomar had also suggested forming a committee that can discuss MSP issues. However, this suggestion was rejected by the unions at the time.
In their meeting on Friday, they appreciated the resolution of the Kerala Assembly against the central agricultural laws.
“It seems that the government is taking farmers lightly. The government was able to disperse the ‘Shaheen Bagh’ (anti-CAA) protesters. They are thinking of doing the same with us, but that day will never come. If the government does not respond to their demands on January 4, farmers will have to make a decision (to further intensify their protests), ”said Yudhvir Singh from Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU).
Farmer leaders also announced their schedule of protests with Farmer Leader Darshan Pal of the Krantikari Kisan Union, who said those programs would take place in addition to the ongoing boycott of Adani and Ambani’s products and services.
They announced that farmers would organize ‘Desh Jagriti Abhiyan’ from January 7 to 20 across the country. In addition, they will observe January 18 as ‘Mahila Kisan Diwas’ (Woman Farmer’s Day) and Subhash Chandra Bose’s birthday anniversary on January 23 as ‘Kisan Chetna Diwas’.
“In Haryana, all toll plazas will remain free. All gas stations and shopping centers will be closed. Leaders of BJP and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) they will face protests in the state and this will continue until their alliance is broken, ”said Vikas Sisar, peasant leader from Haryana, at the press conference.
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