The kisan mahapanchayat organised here on Sunday called for the defeat of BJP in all the upcoming assembly elections and vowed to continue the fight for a law guaranteeing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and other demands including the withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment bill and the arrest of Union minister Ajay Mishra over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
Addressing the mahapanchayat or mega conclave of farmers held under the banner of Samyukta Shetkari Kamgar Morcha (SSKM) at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on the eve of the beginning of the Parliament session, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a supporter of the MSP when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and wanted a nationwide law to ensure that farmers’ interests were guaranteed.
Tikait accused the Modi government of running away from a debate over the issue
The Centre should bring a law to guarantee MSP to farmers. There are several issues related to the agriculture and labour sectors that need attention and we will travel all over the country to highlight them,” he said.
Tikait also demanded that financial aid be given to the kin of farmers who died in the year-long protest against the Centre’s three agri marketing laws.
The mahapanchayat, held on the occasion of the death anniversary of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, hailed the farmers’ victory over the Centre withdrawing the three farm laws and vowed to fight for remaining demands, a press release said
The mahapanchayat celebrated the historic victory over the BJP-RSS government of the year-long farmers’ struggle in getting the farm laws repealed, and also declared its determination to fight for the remaining demands. These include a Central law to guarantee the MSP and procurement, withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill, removal from the Cabinet and arrest of Union minister Ajay Mishra for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, repeal of the four Labour Codes, an end to selling off the country through privatisation etc.