Hundreds of farmers under the banner of the Akhila Bharat Krushak Sangathan Samannwaya Samiti and the All India Kishan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), Odisha chapter, took to the streets here on Monday raising various issues concerning farmers’ community in the State and the country. Farmers from various districts across the State staged a ‘Krushak Adhikar Chetabani Samavesh’ holding banners and shouting slogans against Government’s apathy towards the community.
A team of representatives from the neighbouring State of West Bengal and the Sarba Bharatiya Kishan Sangharsh Jatha (Jatra) also joined the stir.
Environmentalist and farmer leader Prafulla Samantray joined the protest and termed both the State Government and the Centre as anti-farmer. He alleged that the State Government is yet to give bonus to the farmers and urged the Centre to increase the paddy MSP to Rs 2,930 per quintal.
Similarly, the Centre hiked the paddy MSP by a mere Rs 80 when the Prime Minister had earlier promised to double the price. Besides, no steps have been taken to waive farm loans, he added.
Jai Kisan Andolan founder Yogendra Yadav said if Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is not able to solve the problems of farmers at least he should accept the farmer’s suicide in the State. Till date the country had a number of Prime Ministers but none of them is anti-farmer like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added. Members of the various national organisatons alleged that farmers are not the getting remunerative prices of their produces. They mentioned that due to the burden of agricultural loan, as many as 36,000 farmers have committed suicide during the three-year tenure of the Modi Government.
They said many companies have looted about Rs 21,500 crore as premium from the State and Central Governments under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
They said that the country’s 121 crore people are dependent upon the farmers, but the farmers are most neglected.
They demanded that the State and Central Government free farmers from the dept trap, to provide profitable MSP for all agricultural produces as per the Swaminathan Commission recommendation, provide land to landless, concede forest rights to the tribals and forest dwellers and provide Rs 5,000 monthly pension to all farmers.
AIKSCC convenor VM Singh, All India Kisan Sabha general secretary Hannan Mollah, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh president Dr Sunilam, Odisha Krushak Sabha’s (OKS) Suresh Panigrahi, All India Kishan Mahasabha’s (AIKM) Ashok Pradhan, All India Kishan Majdoor Sabha’s (AIKMS) Bhalachandra Sarangi and others spoke on the anti-farmer policies of the State and Central Governments.
