By Krishna Jha
The demands of the farmers are yet to be met in full. It is despite the announcement of repeal, followed by its getting passed in the Parliament, which was completed in just few minutes disallowing all debates.
In the Monsoon session, which ran only for a week due to Covid, at least 25 bills were passed, at a rate of 2.7 bills a day. Among them were bills related to the privatisation of Insurance as well as three dark bills of agrarian sector, each of them leaving our democracy vulnerable.
For none of the bills, debate was allowed. They were passed with the voice vote amidst the din. With a brutal handling, all opposition was crushed. Those who had stood in defiance, twelve of them, are barred from the Rajya Sabha in the winter session.
Refusing to leave dharna, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has sent a letter to the prime minister saying the announcement of repeal and making it a law was unilateral. Farmers sitting on dharna for last one year despite the hardships, and even losing more than seven hundred of their comrades, have remained undeterred, because they know their demands are legitimate. Yet the decision to repeal was taken without consulting them. The protest continues. In Maha Panchayat in Lucknow, the families of those peaceful, non-violent protestors, martyred in Lakhimpur Kheri, were also on the stage and were felicitated. It was a message to the government that the farmers have refused to relent. The ranks of the protesters are swelling everyday along with the celebrations of the first anniversary. Those joining are not all farmers, but from among the women, youth, students, teachers, doctors and many others.
There is a sharp feeling among the larger masses of being at the receiving end. In the letter the farmers have asked to meet the remaining demands that are (1) ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement (at c2+50 percent level) as a legal entitlement for all farmers for all agricultural produce, (2) withdrawal of electricity amendments bill 2020-2021, (3) keeping farmers out of the purview of penal provisions related to Delhi air quality regulation, and therefore deletion of section 15 from the commission of air quality management in the national capital region and adjoining areas act 2021; (4) withdrawal of hundreds of cases imposed on hundreds of farmers in the ongoing agitation, (5)dismissal from the council of ministers of government of India and arrest of Ajay Mishra Teni, and lastly (6) compensation and rehabilitation support to families of the martyrs of the agitation and a memorial in their name at the Singhu Border.
The letter in the end says that the prime minister has appealed to the farmers to go back home. The farmers ensured him that they also want to go home, since they are not fond of sitting on the streets. Their desire, and also commitment is to resolve the other left out issues as early as possible, so that they can go back to their families, farming and home and for that the government must resume talks with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha on these six issues. Till the issues are resolved, the farmers would not leave dharna. In fact the issue at the top, that of MSP, is in reality the life line for farmers since there is never enough return to meet their basic needs. MSP has always been provided by the government of India for last six decades for sustenance. But it is yet to become a legal guarantee.
The All India Kisan Sabha says most of the cost should be borne by private traders, noting that both middlemen and corporate giants are buying commodities at low rates from farmers and slapping on a huge price on consumers. The Left-affiliated farm unions have suggested a law which simply stipulates that no one — neither the Government nor private players — will be allowed to buy produce from farmers at a rate lower than the MSP.
The country has already rolled down to dangerous hunger levels only to temporarily stop at 101 in the chart prepared for 114 countries making food security and food independence imperative. Basically these wants that offer succour to humanity are rooted to the very existence of life and any attempt to deny them would only lead to turn our motherland into a grave yard. MSP is in fact non-negotiable, and cannot allow any debate on its validity. It concerns the farmers who have to continue farming and produce food to keep alive nearly 1.38 billion citizens, but for that they themselves have to be alive first. It is a commonly agreed fact that the common masses live at sustenance level only, and these days it is worsening with every passing day.
The income they earn are never enough to meet the basic essentials and more often it is food, the prime need for survival. It is for this reason that food has to be organised for them at highly subsidised rates, and hence, they must have legislative guarantee for food. In fact legalising MSP to avoid hunger-deaths needs no debate, it remains a proven fact. But surprisingly, the same government that has promised to repeal and now officially taken back the three laws has submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court saying a law to guarantee MSP to farmers is going to ruin the market. It also says that legalising MSP to procure 23 crops would disrupt the market equilibrium, drive out private trade and lead to inflation and a decline in agricultural exports.
In contradiction to its own words, there have been instances of government announcing several times for MSP to be cleared and given to farmers. Is it possible to ignore these announcements? It is sheer betrayal to 900 million farm income-dependent citizens of our country for whom MSP is a lifeline. (IPA Service)
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