Farm unions mobilise support for weeklong agitation on MSP

Bathinda, April 7

Farmer unions in the Malwa region have started mobilising support by holding regular meetings and door-to-door activities at village, block and district levels for the nationwide protest call by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha to observe the ‘MSP guarantee week’ from April 11 to 17.

Give us our due

The MSP on farm produce is farmers’right and the Central government must soon introduce a mechanism to provide it to them. —Ruldu Singh Mansa, PKU president

Farmer unions will hold protests and demonstrations across the country for a week against the Centre. Shingara Singh Mann, general secretary, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), said: “The Centre hasn’t taken any initiative to provide legal guarantee on MSP of agricultural produce, as promised, till now. The SKM had called off farmers’ agitation only after the Centre was coerced to repeal the three agricultural laws last year. Besides, the government had promised us withdrawal of cases registered against farmers and strict action against perpetrators of Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

“However, more than four months have elapsed, but no progress has been made by the government to honour its promises. Now we have decided to start a week-long stir as ‘MSP gaurantee week’. Preparations to make the stir successful are in full swing. We have recently held meetings in the Malwa region.”

Ruldu Singh Mansa, president, Punjab Kisan Union said, Besides holding meetings at village and block levels, we have conducted a state-level meeting at Ludhiana where leaders of 12 unions participated. ” —