Farmers protest against Agricultural Marketing Policy
A large number of farmers, under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, Haryana, staged a protest in Kurukshetra on Thursday against a draft of the Agricultural Marketing Policy.
Protesting farmers gathered at Chaudhary Devi Lal Park near Pipli, took out a protest march, and raised slogans against the government.
The protesters, including women, were stopped in front of the CM camp office by the police barricades. The farmers submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini through the CM’s camp office in-charge here in Kurukshetra, demanding its immediate withdrawal.
The farmers also condemned the action taken by the Punjab Government on the protesting farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri borders and demanded the release of arrested farmer leaders who were taken into custody just after they came out of the meeting with the Union Agriculture Minister and other ministers.
The SKM, Haryana, leader Rattan Mann said, “Farmers have been struggling to get the long-pending demands accepted but the government hasn’t been paying any attention to the farmers’ demands. The Chief Minister should give time to the delegation of the farmers union for a meeting so that the issues can be raised and discussed effectively.”
The memorandum also included the demand for withdrawal of the national policy framework draft on agriculture marketing, legal guarantee of procurement of crops on the MSP, debt relief and other pending issues like compensation for crop damages.
The protesting farmers also demanded the withdrawal of amendments to the Electricity Act, cancellation of the Smart Meter Scheme, adequate compensation for the farmers from whose fields high tension wires and fuel pipelines were crossing, cancellation of pending cases against farmers, and immediate issuance of pending tubewell electricity connections. They also demanded increase in wages of labourers and shifting of stray animals.
Leaders of various organisations condemned the Modi government and said the government succumbed under US president Trump and clandestinely assured lowering down of import tariffs on US goods that would threaten the Indian goods in our own markets, national food security and livelihood of millions of farmers and workers.The SKM has also demanded changes in Haryana Budget and incorporate pro agriculture provisions in it.
Rattan Mann said, “The farmers had reached here in the form of a Panchayat just to submit a memorandum but barricades were installed to stop the farmers which is not acceptable. We also condemn the action taken by the Punjab Government against the protesting farmers. The arrested farmer leaders should be released immediately and the demands should be accepted. The government shouldn’t test the patience of the farmers. The SKM will hold a meeting soon and decide the future course of action. The unions will also hold meetings at the village level to make people aware of the wrong policies of the government”.
SKM leaders Master Balbir, Suresh Koth, Sukhdev Jammu, Jogender Nain, Vikas Sisar, Kanwarjit Singh, Karnail Singh, Ranbir Malik, Tajender Singh, Sukhvinder Singh, Inderjit Singh, Azad Palwal, Baba Gurdeep, Jagmal, and Rohtas Dalal were present during the protest.
