Various farmers’ wings are gearing up to protest against the BJP-led NDA Government’s controversial land Acquisition Bill. All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC) on Sunday has decided to submit memorandum to the President after a meeting of all 17 farmers’ organisations from various States on April 19 and 20.
The decision was taken in the joint meeting of AIKCC’s Punjab and Haryana units led by AIKCC chairman and Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) national president Bhupinder Singh Mann. The meeting was attended by BKU’s Punjab unit president Baldev Singh Mianpur and his Haryana counterpart Chaudhary Guniparkash.
The meeting discussed the land Acquisition Bill “which seeks to destroy the basic character of the land Acquisition Act, 2013. On the face of it, it is evident that its aim is to grab land from the farmers to help land grabbers”.
The meeting also discussed about the promise made to farmers by the BJP Government in its 2014 manifesto to implement Swaminathan Commission report besides some other promises. The meeting also discussed other issues relating to farmers of both the States.
Mann, after deliberations on the issues, said that BKU has always been against any move to ruin the land Acquisition Act, 2013. “Modi Government has totally destroyed the basic spirit of the land Acquisition Act, which is against the farmers. This bill is aimed to fulfil the nefarious designs of land grabbers,” he said.
He said that all the so-called amendments including denying farmers right to justice, to free officials of committing any offence in the land acquisition act, allowing land grabbers to keep the land unutilised for as long as they wish etc, are in favor of the vested interests.
The meeting decided that, farmers already in the grip of suicide compulsions, will not tolerate such fatal blow on the backbone of the nation, said Mann. On the issue of implementation of Swaminathan report, he said that Modi Govt seems to taking its foot back.
“In Haryana and Punjab agricultural crops have been hit hard by hailstorm, heavy rains and windstorms. It has been emphasised that both the State Governments should compensate the farmers’ loss by giving Rs25,000 per acre. Farmers’ delegation would also lodge its protest to the Governor of Punjab and Haryana,” he said.