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Farmers Burn Farm Law Copies during Holika Dahan!

SabrangIndia

30 Mar 2021: Multiple copies of the three controversial farm laws were burned during the Holika Dahan programme at Delhi border on March 28 and March 29, 2021 to declare the policies “anti-farmer and anti-people,” said the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM).

Farmers said that they will truly celebrate Holi only when the three farm laws are repealed and minimum Support Prices (MSP) for farmers receives a legal guarantee.

Nonetheless, farmers at the Singhu border celebrate ‘Hola Mohla’ programme with spirit and enthusiasm. They were joined by Haryana women who said that farmers will continue to celebrate every festival at protest sites until their demands are met.

Similarly, at the Tikri border, farmers showed strength through cultural programs on the main stage, and then cleaned the surrounding area as well. Farmers celebrated Holi at the Ghazipur border as well following traditional customs with many people from and around Delhi. Lok Kala Manch Mandi Mullanpur participated in the farmers’ struggle and extended their solidarity via art. Their drama “Uthan da Vela” by writer and director Harkesh Chaudhary appealed to farmers to remain strong.

Later, on Monday Advocate Joginder Singh Toor launched ‘In Kanuno Me Kala Kya,’ (What is amiss in these laws?), a book that explained farmers’ concerns about the laws in a detailed manner.

Similarly, on Sunday farmer leaders discussed a law passed by the Haryana Assembly on March 18 then titled ‘Haryana Recovery of Damages to Property during Disturbance to Public Order Bill, 2021.’ As per this law, the government can demand recovery of public and private property damage from agitators participating in any movement.

Further, no court will have the right to hear the appeal. The alleged loss can be recovered by confiscating agitators’ property. Such a law has also been enacted by the Uttar Pradesh government and misused in a big way, said farmers.

“This is a step of utter dictatorship and it is sure to be misused against the present peaceful farmers movement. We strongly oppose it. [The law] contains dangerous provisions that would surely prove fatal to democracy. The SKM strongly condemns this law that has been brought to… escape from the legitimate demands of the farmers,” said farmer leader Darshan Pal.

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Punjab: Farmers, Arthiyas Protest FCI Order Seeking Land Record for Online MSP Payment

Kusum Arora

Jalandhar: The eagerly awaited wheat harvesting season is barely a week away, but preparations have given way to alarm for farmers in Punjab. This is because the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has issued an order seeking farmers’ land records for online payments to their accounts.

An order issued by the FCI’s zonal office (north), Noida asking farmers to provide land records for online payment of the minimum support price (MSP) directly into their accounts has both farmers and arthiyas (commission agents) concerned.

In its letter, the FCI told farmers that land records were a must for wheat procurement in the rabi marketing season (RMS) 2021-22. It also asked the FCI’s regional office, Punjab to ensure that farmers’ land records were updated in the ‘Anaaj Kharid portal’ before RMS 2021-22 begins to avoid any future complications.

Further, it was also asked to share the data of land records, so that FCI can verify the land records of farmers during the harvest season.

For the farmers, the major cause of concern was the fact that a majority of them do contract farming on land owned by either their NRI relatives or friends settled abroad. This also includes a sizeable number of people employed in the armed forces or the central paramilitary forces posted across the country.

Gurpreet Atwal, a farmer from the NRI belt of Jalandhar, said that he was farming 20 acres of land out of which eight acres belong to his two brothers based in California.

“Can anyone explain, how I am supposed to get the land records of my brothers? Even if I get the land record, the payment of the yield would go into my brother’s account. The government is harassing us because we led the farmers’ protest and today it has spread across the country. Now, farmers will have to stage another protest against the Narendra Modi government to ensure that our lands are not snatched away from us.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Gurpyar Singh, a farmer from Bathinda, who too has been doing contract farming on 20 acres of land belonging to two Canada-based families, said that he pays Rs 62,000 per acre as the contract amount annually.

“Asi ta pehla hi pareshan a, sarkar sanu hor tang kar rahi a (We are already troubled by this system and the government is further creating issues for us). This is the time of year when we look forward to reaping the benefit of our crop, but the government has made up its mind to ruin us for once and for all,” he said.

On the other hand, the FCI’s directive is a big blow to the arthiyas, as they will not be able to avail their 2.5% commission on crop sales. Arthiyas or commission agents deal with unloading the crop at the grain market, cleaning, weighing, sack filling, stitching and loading as per government rates, besides hiring the labour.

As a mark of protest against this move, arthiyas, farmers and munims (accountants) are organising a ‘mahapanchayat’ at Moga district on April 5. The arthiyas announced that if no consensus was reached till April 10, they will intensify the stir.

Talking to The Wire, Vijay Kalra, president of the Federation of Punjab Arthiya Association, said that this edict of the Modi government was yet another death knell and a conspiracy against farmers, arthiyas and Punjab. “Let them try all means but the Modi government will never succeed in its attempts. We are organising a huge rally at Moga on April 5, which will be attended by senior farmer leaders – Balbir Singh Rajewal, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Dr Darshan Pal. Farmers and arthiyas share a time-tested bond of trust and brotherhood, and we will not let the government ruin it. It may take some time, but we will succeed,” he said.

Kalra also said that a meeting with Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders was held at the Singhu border on March 17, where it was decided that no farmer would show his land record to the FCI. “Our April 10 rally will send a strong message to the Modi government that farmers-arthiyas-munim and farm labourers are together in this fight,” he added.

(Extract. Courtesy: The Wire.)

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Farmers Declare FCI Bachao Divas on April 5

SabrangIndia

30 Mar 2021: Amid Holi celebrations, farmer organisation Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) also announced an upcoming event on April 5, 2021. The event “FCI Bachao Divas” aims to protest the government’s attempts to do away with Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Public Distribution System (PDS).

In recent days, farmers have repeatedly raised concerns about several ‘government attempts’ to end MSP and PDS mechanisms indirectly. Around March 20, leaders had condemned the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) proposals to introduce new quality specifications and procurement norms and submitted memorandums to local authorities regarding the same.

“For the last several years, the FCI budget has been reduced. Recently, the FCI also changed the rules for the procurement system of crops,” said the SKM.

To condemn these moves, leaders decided during a general meeting to gherao (surround in protest) all FCI offices in the country from 11 AM to 5 PM.

This is the first farmers’ event announced by peasants for April amidst ensuing summer heat and rising coronavirus cases.

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Protesting Farmers Announce Parliament March in 1st Week of May, Invite Participation from Across Country

Newsclick, SabrangIndia

31 Mar 2021: The farmers’ organisations on Wednesday, March 31, announced that the protesters agitating against the three contentious farm laws will be marching towards Parliament on foot in the first week of May after staging their protest for more than four months at the entry gates of the national capital.

The date for the march, however, remains undecided as the plan still needs to be fixed to avoid any tussle and mishap of the sort that was witnessed during the Republic Day March on January 26. Gurnam Singh Chaduni, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) said that they are inviting people from across the country to be part of the march as the government has tested their patience enough.

He added, “It is already more than two months since the Centre stopped its talks with farmers’ organisations which amply clarified that it has nothing to offer either on repealing the laws or assuring the minimum support price. Thus, it is our last resort. I reiterate that the march will be peaceful and the people will be walking on foot only.”

Apart from the major announcement, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha – a collective of farmers’ unions- said that the farmers in 736 districts of the country will be staging protest at the offices of Food Corporation of India on April 5.

Boota Singh Burjgill from BKU Dakaunda said that the farmers’ unions have also reached a consensus on stopping the traffic at Kurukshetra Manesar Palwal Highway for 24 hours on April 10. “We keep organising blockades to wake the government from its slumber. We are stopping at this highway as a last warning to the people sitting in power,” Burjgill added.

Addressing the press conference, Satnam Singh Ajnala from Kirti Kisan Union said that the unions have decided to celebrate the festival of Baisakhi at all borders. In Punjab, Baisakhi is celebrated on April 13 every year when farmers harvest their crops. Secondly, the festival is auspicious for the followers of Sikh belief as the tenth guru, Guru Govind Singh founded the Khalsa panth (tradition) on April 13, 1699, in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.

“By establishing the Khalsa, the tenth guru advocated a caste free society which also despises religious persecution and discrimination. We aspire that the unity of farmers and workers will build such society. Thus, we will be also celebrating the day at all borders with full fervour,” he said.

Prem Singh Bhangu, president of the All India Kisan Federation said that the front will be celebrating April 14 – the birthday of social reformer, advocate and scholar Dr B R Ambedkar as ‘Save Farmers, Save Constitution Day’.

“Our constitution envisages secularism and democracy as the basic tenets to be followed by the government. Both these principles are under attack from the current regime. We know how they butchered secularism in Jammu and Kashmir when they abrogated Article 370. Similarly, all dissenting people are met with the threats of arrests, slapped with sedition, charges of UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). Thus, we demand that all draconian provisions like Article 126 A, UAPA, Article 356 which enables the Centre to dismantle an elected government and Article 368 which gives government immense power to draft any legislation be removed. Since Ambedkar too aspired for a casteless society, the main stage will be managed by the people from the bahujan community.”

More importantly, the unions also announced that they will be inviting the central trade unions to celebrate May Day at all borders together.

Regarding May events, farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chadhuni announced a Parliament March in the first fortnight of the month.

“Other than farmers and labourers, women, Dalit-Adivasi-Bahujans, unemployed youth and every section of the society will be part of this march. This program will be completely peaceful. People will come in their vehicles from their villages to the borders of Delhi. After this, a Paidal [on-foot] March will be done from the borders of Delhi,” he said.

While the exact date of the paidal march is yet to be announced, it will be organised after the Mazdoor Day on May 1 when all programmes will be dedicated to worker-farmer unity.

Meanwhile, SKM member and farmer leader Biju among others held a ‘No Vote for BJP / NDA in Trivandrum,’ banner to condemn the attack on agitators there by BJP-RSS workers.

In another part of India, the Mitti Satyagraha Yatra farmers stopped at Umrachi, Gujarat where soil from 100 villages in Dandi and 50 viallges in Bardoli was handed over. State police stopped the yatra in the town. However, farmers said that members will continue to protest against government-attempts to snatch the soil (land) of farmers and hand it over to capitalists. The yatra also honours the over-320 farmers who died in the struggle.

Simultaneously, a second Yatra of the Mitti Satyagraha was started from Rajghat in the Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) Founder Medha Patkar. Representatives of Narmada Valley farmers, labourers, fisherfolks participated in the Mitti Satyagraha. Both yatras will meet in Rajasthan and then head towards Delhi borders.

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Punjab Farmers Prepare for Long Haul as Harvest Season Nears

Ravi Kaushal

April 4, 2021: Preparing for the long haul, farmers’ and workers’ organisations, along with students, youth, women, employees and pensioners’ associations, on Saturday floated ‘Punjab for Farmers’ for close coordination and chalking out strategies on the ongoing movement against three farm laws.

The organisations were invited by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha – a collective of farmers’ unions- in view of the upcoming harvesting season which is considered critical for the movement as farmers’ appeared to be returning with trolleys to the villages.

Speaking in a jam-packed conference hall at Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Darshan Pal from Krantikari Kisan Union, said: “I have no doubt in accepting that the harvesting season is going to be challenging for us. We will be approaching the harvesting season in four-five days and it is obvious that the people will return to farms for a brief period and their numbers will decrease at the borders. This does not mean that they no longer support the movement. We called this meeting to strategise the participation. Second, this is no longer a farmers’ movement alone. It’s a people movement. Through this meet, we want to make the movement deeply grassrooted. The number of participants here exceeded our expectation. In next meeting, we will chalking out which organisation will mobilise people on given days. The next meeting is scheduled for April 7 in Jalandhar.”

When asked for comments on taking up workers’ issues more aggressively, Pal said: “It’s an age old issue here in Punjab. We have taken up the issues and succeeded in forcing the lapse of the labour codes. The movement is only four months’ old. We will see how to go further with it.”

Balbeer Singh Rajewal from Bharatiya Kisan Union Rajewal said the meeting exhibited the unity of different organisations in Punjab, who are not at all perturbed by dubious daily orders of the Centre. The veteran farmers’ leader was referring to the latest order of Food Corporation of India (FCI) which asked for land records from farmers to enable direct payment to them.

Farmers’ organisations have opposed the FCI order stating that it excludes the sharecroppers, who constitute 40% of the total population of farmers in the state.

Rajewal said the aim of Saturday’s meeting was to bring together non-farmers organisations.

Khattar faces farmer ire

In a separate development, several farmers were injured in Rohtak when they were protesting the visit of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The farmers’ organisations had decided to wave black flags at BJP legislators.

In a statement, Inderjit Singh of SKM, said: “The farmers, enraged by the highly disparaging remarks made during farmers’ agitation by BJP leaders, had assembled to peacefully show black flags to the Chief Minister whose chopper was supposed to land at Asthal Bohar. Even women protesters were manhandled by the male cops. Some protesters have received grievous injuries.”

He said BJP-JJP ruling alliance was increasingly getting isolated due to its anti-people policies. The enactment of recovery of damage to property Act in Haryana is also intended to curb the right to protest guaranteed by Constitution, he said, adding that SKM is demanding a negotiated settlement of farmers’ demands by the BJP government, instead of waging a war against the people who had given it the power.”

(Courtesy: Newsclick. )

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In Gujarat, Tikait Says Famed Model Exposed When Farmers Had to Leave State to Protest

Damayantee Dhar

04 Apr 2021: “The farmers of Gujarat had to go out of the state to protest and met me here in Rajasthan; it says a lot about the state of farmers in Gujarat,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said at a public gathering in Abu Road, Rajasthan, near the state’s border with Gujarat.

Tikait added that the Gujarat government had been “projecting that the farmers of the state had no problems and were not supporting our ongoing protest against the Farm Laws. That is a lie. Groups of farmers from Gujarat have visited us at the Tikri Border to show their support for the movement. They told us how they had to avoid being detained and were put under house arrest in their own state,” added Tikait.

Tikait, who arrived in Gujarat on Sunday for a two-day tour as part of which he will travel from north Gujarat to south Gujarat, hit out at the ‘Gujarat model’, saying: “It is perhaps for the first time anybody has heard of farmer leaders being pulled away in the middle of a press conference and being detained. In Gujarat farmers do not even have the right to hold a press conference. That is the Gujarat model.”

Notably, after a press conference in Ahmedabad called by farmer leaders from Gujarat was stopped midway with the leaders detained, organisers had been apprehensive that Tikait would be stopped at the state’s border with neighbouring Rajasthan.

“The Chief Minister of Gujarat, on multiple occasions, has said that farmers of Gujarat have no issues. But every time we attempt to raise our voice it is suppressed. On December 6 last year about 5,000 farmers were ready to leave for Delhi to participate in the protest. That could not happen as farmers’ leaders from across the state were detained and put under house arrest. Some leaders were under house arrest for 37 days,” Palbhai Ambaliya, farmer leader and one of the organisers, told Newsclick.

Ambaliya added that they then decided to hold a farmers’ meet on January 22 this year in Rajkot with about 20,000 farmers expected to participate from Gujarat and other states. “Leaders of the BKU were to join us from Delhi. But the Gujarat government denied us permission on the evening of January 21. We sought permission again on January 27, following which the Rajkot Police Commissioner held a press conference to announce that we had been denied permission. In March when we attempted to carry out a tractor march, the Gujarat government punctured the tyres of our tractors. Does democracy exist in Gujarat?” he posited.

The farmer leader said that these experiences made them “wary that Rakesh Tikait won’t be allowed to enter the state. Nonetheless we organised the programme with the Kisan Sangharsh Manch of Rajasthan. Why did the farmers of Gujarat have to come to Rajasthan to hold a farmers’ meet? It cannot be further from the truth to say that farmers here have no problems,” added Ambaliya.

Rakesh Tikait, who has been conducting farmers’ meetings in Rajasthan, addressed a public gathering at Abu Road with 2,000 farmers from both states in attendance. Thereafter, amid heavy police presence, Tikait entered Gujarat to an overwhelming reception. After visiting a temple in Ambaji, Banaskantha, Tikait addressed a massive gathering in Palanpur alongside former Gujarat CM Shankarsinh Vaghela.

Addressing farmers in Palanpur, the BKU leader said, “Dar nikaalna padega (You have to overcome fear). The farmers of Gujarat have to decide how they will join the protests. Youth will have to come out in huge numbers. If there are no protests our land will be taken away. The lands of farmers across the country will be acquired the same way Reliance was given land from 60 villages in Gujarat. Farmers of Gujarat want to win through court cases but let me tell you, your lands can be saved only from protesting on the ground. So, do not depend on courts.”

(Courtesy: Newsclick.)

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In Karnataka’s Kisan Panchayats, a Familiar and Crushing Tale

Indra Shekhar Singh

04 Apr 2021, Hubali-Dharwad: By 5 pm a white i20 car adorned with a green ryot (farmer) flag was occupied by motley bunch of travellers – a Dalit organiser, an advocate, an engineer and this reporter.

Our car was among a convoy that was taking farmer leader Rakesh Tikait to Dharwad and then to Belgaum for his third major panchayat in Karnataka. After a quick pit stop to garland the Kittur Chennamma statue at the heart of Hubli, the cavalcade headed out and a conversation on agriculture, MSP and the farmers’ revolution began.

“Cotton, chilly, chana, bajra, onion, wheat and maize grow in abundance in our area,” Venkat Gowde Patil, a 42-year-old farmer said, as we drove through Hubli city.

“But we don’t get MSP for even two crops here,” he added.

Before we can talk any further, the convoy crosses half-a-kilometre-long, but deserted APMC mandi on the outskirts of Hubli-Dharwad. It is one of the biggest mandis in northern Karnataka, but farmers rarely get government rates for crops.

“Leave MSP for a minute, Karnataka farmers are in a deeper crisis. The Yediyurappa government – surprisingly with JD(S) support – passed the Land Reform Bill, 2020, which is a death-knell for farmers, as it allows for corporatisation and non-agricultural people to buy agricultural land,” said K.H. Patil, an advocate practising in the Dharwad court.

“Slowly and steady, all safeguards for farmers have been removed, there is even relaxation of land ceiling limits in the state,” he added.

Lawyers have been working with farmers groups since last year, and the three farm laws have only brought them closer.

Once we enter Dharwad, groups of farmers, women, Dalit activists, journalists, students and police await Rakesh Tikait. Among them is Atmaanand, a graduate of agriculture, who speaks about how the Dharwad area is a transition zone agronomically, and this entire belt is good for farming.

“Farmers here can grow from plantation crops – banana, mango, to maize and cotton. The soil ranges from black soil cotton soil to red loamy, which is great even for arhar and soy bean,” he said.

There is ample water and bountiful harvest – and yet many farmers visiting Tikait have cracked ankles and tattered slippers.

Why a resonance?

Perhaps the most common question concerning Tikait’s maha panchayats is this: why does his message strike a chord with so many people across so many states?

And in the case of Karnataka, where are the state’s farmer organisations and how do they feel about the current agitation?

“The ryot sangh from 1984 to about 1995 was a very powerful and united force, politically, but due to infighting and horse-trading, only a shadow remains,” said Amin Pascha, a 46-year-old member of a ryot sangh.

Taking advantage of the divisions, political parties have seized their platforms. However, the farmers’ revolution in Delhi’s borders seems to have stirred things in Karnataka too.

“Rakesh Tikait gives farmers all over the country new hope, especially for ryot organisations. They have, after many years, united under his leadership, keeping difference aside,” Pache Nanjundaswamy, one of the organisers, said.

“It’s not only the farmers, but Dalit groups, trade unions, socialism-leaning groups and women have come together, under this banner, to demand that a united front be created,” he said, adding that Belgaum was about to witness this now.

Road to Belgaum

Belgaum is black-soiled sugarcane country. It boasts of the largest number of corporate sugar mills, sweet water, good weather and an exploitative rate for sugarcane – Rs 2,500/quintal. For other crops like bajra or jowar, farmers are at mercy of the market.

With a by-election scheduled for April 17, and a sunny day touching 40°C, a few thousand-strong ryot parade goes through Belgaum on March 31 to demand fair prices for crops. Saree-clad women were the vanguard, followed by Rakesh Tikait on a bull cart. Their destination was a local college ground, which was the venue for the mahapanchayat.

The district administration, playing tricks, had withdrawn permission for putting up a “pandal or shamiyana” at the last minute, leaving the farmers and panchayat in the hot sun. But this only strengthened their resolve.

The meeting began with speeches and slogans. Under the shade of a lone tree, this author found a group of sugarcane farmers from the area.

Balappa Chunchanur, a 50-year-old farmer from Ramdur taluk, Halollali village, narrated his tale: “The water levels have gone down to 600 feet, and we depend on canal water for sugarcane crop. We spend Rs 50,000 per acre and get about 45-50 tonnes of sugarcane out of it. The price is not the only issue, sugar mills delay our payments and even cheat us on the weight.”

In kisan panchayat after kisan panchayat, this is the recurring message: India’s farmers are grappling with a toxic combination of meagre remuneration, bad policy and corporate markets. Adding ecological and political atrophy to the mix only worsens things.

(Indra Shekhar Singh writes on agriculture and the environment. He is also the former director of the National Seed Association of India. Courtesy: The Wire.)