Farmers plan stir over power, seeds Bills during winter session of Parl

Farmers are set to embark on the path of agitation over two contentious Bills on power and seeds that are likely to be tabled during the winter session of Parliament beginning Monday.

On a call by the All-India Samyukt Kisan Morcha, farmers across the state will hold protests at all district headquarters on December 8. To involve more people, all trade unions in the state as well as all unions of state power utilities will also participate in these protests targeted against the two Bills.

The more people voice their resentment, the chances of their voices being heard by the lawmakers are more, say farmer union leaders, spearheading these protests. Today, members of the Krantikari Kisan Union submitted memorandums to Members of Parliament (MP), urging them to take up the matter with the Prime Minister and persuade the government to withdraw the Bills.

“The government privatised power generation in 2003, and now it wants to privatise its distribution too. This will have widespread ramifications and it has to be pushed back with the same force as the three farm laws in 2020-21,” said Dr Darshan Pal of the Krantikari Kisan Union.

“The issues touch all of us. Privatisation of power distribution will give an edge to corporates who will dictate terms as they will get monopoly, hitting the common man hard. The already downsized state power utilities will shunt more employees when power distribution is privatised and prepaid meters are installed. The Bill also aims to remove cross-subsidy in the power sector, which will lead to domestic consumers paying higher power tariffs. That is why we are opposed to it,” said Rajinder Singh Deepsinghwala, general secretary of the Kirti Kisan Union.

“What they did to the BSNL is exactly what they propose to do with the state power distribution companies. The private companies will take up the profitable circles for power distribution, state utilities will be left with non-profitable circles. Slowly, these utilities’ losses will mount and they will be liquidated,” he said.

“We are preparing to fight it out with the government on this Bill as well as the Seeds Bill,” said Angrej Singh, secretary of the BKU (Ekta-Dakaunda).

“The Seeds Bill will give an edge to global seed manufactures to fix prices. Seed varieties registered outside the country and tested only there will be allowed for cultivation. The farmers will be left at the mercy of global giants,” he added.

These issues would also be highlighted during the December 8 protests.