The Kisan Mukti Yatra (organised by the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti comprising 160 peasant organisations) which began from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh (where protesting farmers were shot dead by police) and covered Maharashtra, Gujarat, Ra-jasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, reached Delhi and culminated in a massive Kisan Mukti Sansad (Peasant Liberation Parliament) at Jantar Mantar (Parliament Street). Thousands of peasants from all over the country participated in the Sansad.
The All India Kisan Mahasabha leadership also participated in the Kisan Mukti Yatra and thousands of AIKM members participated in the Sansad. The Kisan Mukti Sansad was ad-dressed by AIKM National President Ruldu Singh who spoke of the devastation unleashed on already suffering peasants by the Note Ban and the ban on selling cattle. He spoke of the communal hate-campaign and mob lynchings of Muslims like Pehlu Khan being unleashed in the name of preventing slaughter of cows, and called for the peasant movement to refuse to be divided on communal lines and to resist such hate-mongering. He reiterated the twin demands of the Kisan Mukti Yatra – including minimum purchase price which is 50% more than the cost of crop production, and one-time waiver of all loans (bank loans, co-operative loans, financial institution loans as well as money-lenders’ loans). He called for intensified struggle against corporatization and communal division of farming in the country.
The All India Kisan Sabha, All India Kisan Mahasabha, Narmada Bachao Andolan and NAPM, Punjab Kisan Union Dakonda, Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana, Lok Sangharsh Morcha, and peasants from Mandsaur mobilized thousands for the Kisan Mukti Sansad. Peasants associ-ated from AIKM from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Delhi participated in the Sansad. Adivasis and small and medium peasants and tenant farmers made their presence felt at the Kisan Mukti Sansad.
The Kisan Mukti Sansad was also addressed by BM Singh, Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Achiyan, Hannan Mollah of AIKS, Medha Patkar of NAPM, Mohd Salim, Raju Shetty, Pratibha Shinde, Dr. Darshan Pal, Rampal Jat, as well as P. Ayyakannu who is leading a protest by Tamil Nadu farmers in Delhi. The event was conducted by Dr Sunilam. Sons and daughters of farmers’ suicide victims were present at the Sansad. Rajya Sabha MP and CPIP(M) GS Sitaram Yechury and JDU National President Sharad Yadav also addressed the Sansad.
