AIKS Resolves to Intensify Struggles, Plans Massive Rally to Parliament on April 5

The 35th All India Conference of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has kept Thrissur town, the cultural capital of Kerala, on its toes for the past couple of weeks. The curtains came down on December 16 with a massive rally addressed by the chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, and leaders of the AIKS.

The conference called for a massive rally on April 5 to Parliament against the failure of the Union government to fulfil its promises made during the withdrawal of the historic farmers' protest. 

A decision to strengthen the worker-farmer unity was taken to defeat the anti-worker and anti-farmer policies of the Union government and to intensify the struggles in the states were also taken. 

The conference also unanimously elected Vijoo Krishan as the general secretary – the youngest to hold the post in the organisation in the last 60 years. Dr Ashok Dhawale was elected to be the president and P Krishna Prasad as the finance secretary. 

‘WILL FIGHT FOR LAND RIGHTS’

The conference passed 15 resolutions including the one on the legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP), struggles for the rights of women farmers and agricultural workers, Forest Rights Act (FRA), crop insurance, debt relief, and against Electricity (Amendment) Act.

Besides, the conference has resolved to fight for the right to land of the farmers and the forest dwellers. Increasing the membership of the AIKS to two crores, organising the peasantry against the polarisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Sangh Parivar organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and strengthening of the campaign in rural areas were some of the other important announcements made in the conference.

While inaugurating the public meeting, Pinarayi Vijayan accused both Congress and BJP of following similar policies, which led to the agrarian crisis. “The previous Congress governments implemented the GATT and ASEAN agreements. The BJP is trying to implement pro-corporate policies in the farming sector as well. Such moves need to be stopped by united protests,” he said.

Artists played ‘Panchavadhyam’, a combination of percussion and wind instruments of Kerala. 

The delay in ensuring MSP and crop insurance were points of discussion during the conference. The farmers have been demanding rectifications in the Fasal Bima Yojana. 

Dr Ashok Dhawale, reelected as the president of the AIKS, while addressing the public meeting, said, “The Union government has continuously betrayed the farmers when it comes to MSPs and crop insurance. The private insurance companies are swindling money, while the farmers are left to suffer. We demand a complete revamp of the scheme.”

He also demanded that the BJP-led government rope in the public sector insurance companies for crop insurance.

NEW OFFICE-BEARERS ELECTED

The 35th national conference, after deliberating on the report of the general secretary, elected a new All India Kisan Council, which in turn elected new office-bearers. 

Vijoo Krishnan was elected as the new general secretary of the AIKS. At 48 years of age, he is the youngest general secretary of the AIKS in the past 60 years. Hannan Mollah, the senior leader of the farmers’ movement and the outgoing general secretary was elected as the vice president. 

Women delegates of the national conference along with the national leadership in the venue. 

Around 750 delegates from different states representing 1.37 crore members participated in the conference. Sixty-two delegates participated in the discussions on the report of the general secretary.