Massive Peasant March Against Modi Begins Tomorrow

The All India Kisan Sabha is organising four Kisan Sangharsh Jathas which will culminate at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan with a massive Sangharsh Rally on 24th November 2016. The Jathas will mobilise the peasantry against the neo-liberal policies responsible for the present acute agrarian crisis and expose the anti-farmer policies of the Narendra Modi led NDA Government which have aggravated the crisis further.

The Jatha from Virudhu Nagar, Tamil Nadu will be inaugurated on 2nd November by K Varadarajan, senior vice president of AIKS and it includes ten members with Vijoo Krishnan as leader and Malla Reddy as deputy leader. The Jatha from Jammu will be inaugurated on 8th November by Amra Ram, the president of AIKS and it includes nine members with Amra Ram as leader and Harpal Singh as deputy leader. The Jatha from Kolkata will be inaugurated on 8th November by Hannan Molla, the General Secretay of AIKS and it includes nine members with Hannan Molla as leader and Madan Ghosh as deputy leader. The Jatha from Kanyakumari will be inaugurated on 10th November by Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and it includes nine members with P Krishnaprasad as leader and Ashok Dhawale as deputy leader. The Four Jathas will cover various states, address the public meetings and facilitate unity of leaders and activists of all mass and class organisations. Thousands of leaflets, notices, posters and books will be popularised as part of the campaign.

All four Jathas will culminate at Delhi with a massive Kisan rally at Ramlila Maidan and thousands of farmers will march to Parliament. Leaders from various social and political sections and people’s representatives will address the gathering. The Charter of demands will be submitted to the Prime Minister. “If the government is not willing to reverse its pro-corporate economic policies, and save the peasantry from the acute crisis and stop peasant suicides, then the AIKS along with other like-minded peasant and agriculture worker organisations will unleash countrywide militant struggles till all the demands are met with”, AIKS said in a press statement. The key demands of the Jatha are:

1. Implement progressive and comprehensive Land Reforms all over the country and protect petty production in agriculture by upholding the interests of small, marginal and middle peasants.

2. Implement the Land Acquisition Act 2013 with protection for all dependents on land. Stop attempts to acquire agriculture land through draconian State Acts. Strictly implement Forest Rights Act and stop indiscriminate snatching of Tribal Land by corporate companies. Protect the rights of tenant farmers.

3. Implement comprehensive package of loan waiver for poor, marginal peasants and middle peasants. Reverse the anti-people Neo-liberal Economic Policies to stop farmers’ suicide. Provide Rs. 10 lakhs to compensate the families of all victims of farmers’ suicide. Provide interest free agriculture credit to small and marginal peasants, share croppers, tenant farmers, agriculture workers and middle peasants. Fix the interest rate of agriculture credit at 4%.

4. Ensure Minimum Support Price at the rate of 50% in addition to cost of production as recommended by M S Swaminathan Commission and ensure direct procurement by Food Corporation of India from farmers.

5. Immediately withdraw Foreign Direct Investment in agriculture and Food processing industry and E-marketing of agricultural products that serve corporate companies. Provide government funding to promote agro-processing industries and wholesale and retail marketing networks under social cooperatives of peasant and agriculture workers to manufacture and sell value added consumer products.

6. Ensure proper implementation of MGNREGA, 200 days of work per annum and fix the wage as not less than Rs 300 per day.

7. Enact central legislation for agricultural workers to ensure minimum wage and social security. Provide house sites free of cost to all landless agricultural workers and poor peasants.

8. Ensure supply of inputs at subsidized rate and promote agro-ecological practices.

9. Ensure crop insurance to all crops and full compensation for the crop loss due to natural calamity, wild animal attacks, and crop diseases and fix revenue village as the unit for assessing compensation. Provide effective drought relief and compensation to the affected peasantry.

10. Ensure proper storage including cold storage, cold chain facilities, warehousing and marketing system for agricultural produce.

11. Ensure food security by enhancing agriculture production, procurement and distribution.

12. Ensure social security by providing minimum Rs 3000 monthly pension for all the peasants and agriculture workers all over the country. Ensure right to safe drinking water, house sites, housing, education and health to all.

13. Repeal proposal of anti-worker amendments in the labour law, child labour law, stop attacks on the working class and intensification of exploitation.

14. NDA government should desist from allowing free hand to communal and casteist forces.

15. Stop growing atrocities and attacks on Women, Dalits, Tribals and Minorities.