Discontinue water to other states, ensure MSP, demand Punjab farmers; hold protest march in New Delhi

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, March 13

Demanding immediate halt of Punjab water to non-riparian states and legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), thousands of farmers on Monday held a protest march towards the Parliament against the Union Government.

The five farmer unions —led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rajewal —accused the Central government of increasing the allocation of water of the Punjab rivers to Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana.The five farmers’ unions include BKU Rajewal, Kisan Sangharash Committee Punjab, All India Kisan Federation, Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee and BKU Mansa.

Balbir Singh Rajewal, president, BKU Rajewal, said, “Satluj, Beas and Ravi are not interstate rivers. No state other than Punjab is a riparian state of these rivers. Water is a state subject, and the Union government should not interfere. We will first fulfil our own needs and will distribute water to Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi only if there is any water left. We will not give water to other states for free.”

Meanwhile, Prem Singh Bhangu, president, All India Kisan Federation, reminded that the Union government, after a year-long farmer’s protest at Delhi borders, had promised to constitute a committee to recommend a draft to enact a law to give legal guarantee to the MSP. “The union government has reneged on their promise. We demand MSP should be made legal right, and it should be fixed as per Dr MS Swaminathan’s formula C2 50 per cent along with the assured market of the agriculture crops — including vegetables and fruits.”

Farmers, after holding a march staged a sit in at Jantar Mantar, read out the memorandum which was addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The farmers’ union – in the memorandum to the PM – demanded a special package for the Punjab industries; action against the accused in Lakhmpur Kheri and removal of union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni; stop the misuse of Central probe agencies against the farmers’ leaders of Punjab.