All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), an umbrella organisation of over 250 farmer groups in the country, will send 1 lakh e-mails to President Ram Nath Kovind protesting against the Centre not allowing operation of goods trains to Punjab and thus preventing supply of fertilisers, coal and other essential goods to the State, it said.
The government is doing this to “blackmail people of Punjab and unleash repression on the peasant struggle in Punjab,” AIKSCC said in as statement.
It also denounced the decision of Delhi Police to not allow gathering of farmers from across the country in the capital on November 26-27 to protest against the three recently passed farm-related legislations.
Punjab is known as the granary of India since the inception of the Green Revolution. Punjab has contributed to the food security of the country through a good network of roads and grain markets, and hard-working farmers and farm workers. Punjab is the only State where 100 per cent procurement of wheat and paddy is done on Minimum Support Price (MSP) in open-ended procurement, it said.
Agri lobbies
The farmers’ coalition alleged that the government introduced the three farm Acts under pressure from agri-business lobbies. “These laws do not have anything related to MSP and procurement guarantee, which have been the key demand of farmers of the country, including those in Punjab, for several years, the AIKSCC statement said.
AIKSCC had formulated a law on the subject and had placed it in the Lok Sabha but that has been ignored by the government. The laws related to contract-farming and amendments to the Essential Commodities Act are also for the benefit of agri-businesses. Provisions and principles for protecting farmer and consumer interest have been removed through these laws, it said.
“Farmers and farmworkers all over India realise that these moves by the Central government are against their interests, and have been waging an intense struggle for the repeal of the laws. A coordination committee of peasants, workers and other sections of people of Punjab is fighting against the Central Farm Acts, for the last two months,” AIKSCC said.
AIKSCC, along with many other organisations, had called for a Delhi Chalo protest later this month, but the Police has refused to grant permission for the event. The coalition will observe Thursday as a solidarity day in support of farmers, farmworkers and other workers of Punjab, the statement said.