(More reports from the states)
The 3rd Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Mahasabha National Conference, standing in solidarity with farmers’ struggles in various States, had called for a countrywide protest day to be observed on 15 June 2017 against the Mandsaur firing. Three main demands were raised on this Protest Day: 1. Sack the Shivraj Chouhan led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh responsible for the killing of farmers; 2. Waive all farmers’ loans (bank loans as well as moneylenders’ loans); 3. Guarantee a profitable support price for all crops and implement the Swaminathan Commission recommendations. The following are brief reports of the protests organized in States not covered in our last issue:
BIHAR: Protest marches, meetings, and effigy burnings of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and PM Modi were held across the State. Protest rallies and meetings were taken out at 10 places in Patna rural, out of which effigy burnings were also held at 6 places. Protests were held at Fatuha, Dhanrua, Paliganj, Dulhin Bazaar, Naubatpur, Punpun, Masaurhi, Bihata, Maner, and Bikram. In Patna City, a march was taken out from Patna Sahib Station culminating in a meeting and effigy burning at City Chowk. Protest marches and meetings were taken out at Nalanda, Nawada, Bhabhua, Jehanabad, Arwal, Dausnagar (Aurangabad), Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Potpur, Mahanar, Beguserai, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Jamui, Rohtas, Dihri, Buxar, Dumrao, Ara (Bhojpur), Siwan, Eastern Champaran, Western Champaran and other places. The protests were attended by people in large numbers including farmers, students, workers, and common people. The meetings and rallies were addressed by Kisan Mahasabha and CPI (ML) leaders and farmers. The speakers condemned the anti-farmer policies and actions of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the State and PM Modi in the country. They said that farmers would not tolerate this situation any longer and would fight to get justice.
CHHATTISGARH: Protests were held on 15 June and a memorandum submitted to the District Magistrates of Durg and Raipur. A joint protest by farmers’ organizations was also organized on 16 June in Raipur and Bilaspur with farmers participating in large numbers. The memorandum also made the demand of guaranteeing the purchase of all farmers’ and sharecroppers’ crops at support price and to fix support price profitable to farmers in view of the increasing cost of agricultural production.
MADHYA PRADESH: The AIKMS took out a protest march led by Com. Devendra Singh Chouhan, culminating in a meeting at the Bhind District headquarters. Farmers expressed their anger by burning the effigy of Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan and resolved to carry on the struggle till they got justice. A protest march and meeting was organized at Gwalior led by Com. Dhirendra Sing Bhadoriya and Com. Vinod Rawat.
UTTAR PRADESH: National Protest Day was observed on 8 June in Uttar Pradesh. Kisan Mahasabha and CPI(ML) activists took to the streets and protested in Ghazipur, Mau, Ballia, Lakhimpur Kheeri, Lucknow and other places. They expressed solidarity with the struggles and demands of farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Shivraj Chouhan’s effigy was burnt at Ballia and Pilibhit.
PUNJAB and ODISHA: Protest marches, meetings and effigy burnings were held at Mansa, Faridkot, Sangrur, Barnala, Talwandi. A protest march and meeting were held at Raigada in Odisha.
WEST BENGAL: Protest Day was observed in Bardhaman, led by Kisan Mahasabha National Executive members. Protest marches and meetings were also organized at Bakda Haat (South 24 Parganas) and Hooghly. Com Kartik Pal and other speakers said that Bengal has always been the land of farmers’ struggles and would stand in solidarity with the farmers of Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country.
RAJASTHAN: A Kisan Mahapanchayat was held in front of the Jhunjhunu District Collectorate under the joint banners of the Kisan Mahasabha, Shekhawati Kisan Manch, and ‘Kheti Bachao Kisan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’. The Mahapanchayat was addressed by leaders of these organizations and a memorandum was submitted to the Collector demanding protection for crops from stray cattle. About 700 farmers participated in the Mahapanchayat.
ASSAM and MAHARASHTRA: Protest marches and meetings were held at various places in these States. The leaders addressing the protests said that today the distressed farmers are fighting for loan waivers and minimum support price, but the BJP government wants to crush their voices by bullets and lathis. Farmer suicides have increased by 41% in 3 years of Modi rule and support price for crops has declined by 15%. They demanded that all false cases slapped on protesting farmers should be revoked and arrested farmers should be released without condition.
It was announced that 62 farmers’ organizations would hold a countrywide chakka jam on 16 June and called for full support for this.
The chakka jam across the country on 16 received wide support from farmers and was a success. Traffic was obstructed at several places in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha and highways were blocked for hours with tractors.
