Farmers take out tractor march, burn effigies of Trump, Modi

On the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) took out a protest march in the city to press for their demands, including a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP), complete farm debt waiver, a halt to the installation of smart meters on domestic power supply and opposition to the implementation of the land pooling policy in the country.

While carrying effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, they shouted slogans against the Union Government and US President. They burnt the effigies of Trump and Modi outside the Mini Secretariat.

They handed over a memorandum to Naib Tehsildar for President Droupadi Murmu urging the Central Government to withdraw policies and agreements that they claim promote corporate control over Indian agriculture and harm farmers’ livelihoods.

Rattan Mann, state president BKU, led the protest, which started from Jat Dharmshala. He said that their memorandum titled ‘Multinational Companies Quit India –End Corporate Farming’ lists 11 major demands including rejection of the CETA and the free trade agreement (FTA). He alleged that CETA has increased imports of processed foods, dairy products, vegetables and fruits from the UK as well as foreign direct investment in food processing, adversely affecting farmers and small agri-businesses. “The SKM opposes US-driven tariff and import policies that could open India’s market to genetically modified crops,” said Mann.

He said that the SKM also rejects the National Policy Framework for Agricultural Marketing (NPFAM) and the National Cooperation Policy (NCP).

Mann said that the SKM demands guaranteed MSP for all crops along with assured government procurement. “We have been demanding this law for a long time, but the government does not pay heed to our demand,” he said.

He also opposed the privatisation of the power sector and installation of smart meters with a demand for 300 units of free electricity and debt waivers on pending bills for rural households.

“These policies are an attack on farmers’ independence and rural livelihoods,” he said.