Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kisan Morcha has given a week’s time to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre to fulfill their demands including implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, Rs 10,000 per acre compensation for natural calamity, agriculture insurance scheme, rolling back prices of mixed fertilisers, among others.
Giving a word of caution, the party unit made it clear that in case the demands were not met, the Kisan Morcha will organise Rail Roko Andolan (stop train campaign) across the State on February 7.
The similar protest would be held at seven places each in Punjab and Haryana too to garner support “for the cause of farmers, to change policies, which prompted 1.45 lakh farmers to commit suicide”, said BJP Kisan Morcha national president Om Prakash Dhankar.
He said that the Rail Roko will emphasise on implementing Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations on giving 50 per cent profit to farmers, Rs 10,000 per acre compensation in times of natural calamity as recommended by the Chief Minister’s Committee headed by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, implementing agriculture insurance scheme, rolling back prices of mixed fertilisers, providing cheaper inputs to farmers.
Besides, he said that the issues of water to every fields from water conservation, canal and drip irrigation, providing one-year interest free loan on lines of Madhya Pradesh Government, returning lands of de-notified special economic zones (SEZ) to the farmers and in case farmers are unable to pay back the money, give profit on next sale, immediate compensation to frost and hail-hit farmers at Rs 10,000 per acre, and continuous daytime eight-hour power supply for Rabi crops.
Dhankar said that the Rail Roko would tell the nation that it was important to wake up the Government from its slumber and force it to work for farmers.
For the purpose, he invited all the farmers and organisations fighting for their cause to get together, and appealed the nation to understand sorry state of affairs farmers were reeling under.
“We have been left with the alternative of either continue to die or tell the nation about injustice meted out to us,” he said.
Dhankar said that the farmers have even marched up to the residence of Prime Minister and Union Agriculture Minister, “but, the Government has turned Nelson’s eye towards farmers’ sufferings”.
Swaminathan Commission’s report is with Government since October 2007, but no recommendation has been implemented, he said.
He said, “All farm inputs have been given to open market, whereas prices of cost of production are also fixed at minimum support price which does not even cover the bare essentials…Farmers have been caught in vicious circle of loans and debts …and some are even forced to sell off their kidneys to pay back loans.”
He pointed that while the seven pay commissions were formed and their recommendations were implemented for the Government employees, “not even a single recommendation of any of farmers’ commission has been implemented in the last 50 years”.