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The All India Kisan Sabha on Sunday announced that a 'Kisan march' would be organised in the national capital from November 28 to 30 to press for the pending demands of the farmers.
Slamming the BJP and the Congress governments for the plight of the farmers in the country, AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah asserted that farmers' issues continued to be at the centre of the Left parties' political activities. He claimed that successive governments' "failure" to bring "land reforms" has triggered the "agricultural crisis".
"Agricultural crisis is manifested in different ways and there are historical reasons behind it. The main cause of agricultural crisis is failure to bring about land reforms. After Independence, if the farmers had got land then their condition would have been better," Mollah told PTI in an interview.
Alleging that after Independence the government had not taken steps for land reforms with the agricultural sector as its prime focus, he alleged that the then ruling party maintained close affinity with landlords of major states.
He also hit out at the BJP government at the centre, accusing it of not fulfilling his 2014 electoral promises to farmers while terming its announcement of hike in minimum support prices (MSPs) of 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane "a hoax".
Alleging that while agricultural inputs costs have increased many folds, farmer are not getting due price of their products, Mollah said, "The BJP is now seeking to hoodwink farmers by planning an aggressive campaign for the general elections next year."
"Farmers across the country have realized who are the main culprits behind their plight. We have been working for farmers' cause since long. On many occasions, our efforts yield dividends to farmers. We are uniting farmers bodies across the country and have created a common platform," he said.
A 'Kisan March' would be organised in Delhi from November 28 to 30 under the aegis of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a conglomerate of 260 farmers bodies across the country, to press for their various demands, Mollah, who is also a convenor of the AIKSCC, said.
He said the 2011 Census reveals that there are nearly 15 million less farmers in the country than there were in 1991.
"This pattern of distress migration indicates that the agrarian crisis has burst from the seams of rural India, undermining both the country's food security and our collective food sovereignty," Mollah said, asking, "Why cant' the same government waive farmers' loan which is near about half of the loans waived for industrialists?"
AIKSCC has sought President Ram Nath Kovind's intervention to resolve the "agricultural crisis" that renders 70 per cent of people in the country vulnerable, by addressing a joint session of parliament, the AIKS leader said.
About the 'Kisan March', he said, "Farmers will come on tractors. On November 29, they will assemble at the Ramlila grounds here. We are trying to organise our rally at Boat Club. If we get do not get the permission to hold the rally there, it would be held at the Ramlia ground."
(With PTI inputs)
