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 Farmers have not been
 able to recover even
 the input costs


 he demonstrations by farmers in different   on September 5 by the three organisations- Centre   nation-wide campaign to spread public conscious-  come on roads to protest at the cost of his work.” He
 parts of India and in the national capital in   for Indian Trade Unions, All India Kisan Sabha and   ness about the two bills.  added that their movement is not a demand driven
 the recent past are indicative of an upris-  All India Agriculture Workers’ Union, and Mumbai   The organisation has decided to organise an-  movement but a resolution driven movement and
 T ing. A series of protests by the communi-  March by thousands of farmers of Maharashtra.   other march-cum-rally on November 30 in New   organised protests in a democracy are a rightful
 ties under threat are a caveat by the food produc-  All India Kisan Coordination Sangharsh Commit-  Delhi as their demand of a special session on pri-  means to seek change in perceptions of people in
 ers who face oppression in everyday life. Indian   tee, an umbrella organisation of over 200 farmers’   vate member bills in the Parliament on farmers’   the power corridors. The successive governments
 farmer with small landholding is in jeopardy. Hav-  union organised Kisan Mukti Sansad in Novem-  issues has not been taken up by the Union Cabinet.   have failed to take up the cause of the farmers.
 ing nothing to lose, he is now geared up to hit the   ber last year in the Parliament Street. The central   Avik Saha, national convenor of Jai Kisan Andolan,   The promises have been made to ameliorate the
 streets more often and resort to massive agitations   issues were the denial of remunerative prices to   told Tehelka, “We are trying to resolve the issue   situation of farmers but the problems of farmers
 led by farmers’ organisations.  farmers and piling farm debts pushing them into   through dialogue and discussion but government   have been multiplying. Since the year 2006, farm-
 Thousands of farmers thronged the border of the   suicides. Two Bills — Farmers’ Freedom from In-  is interested in monologue and advertisement.   ers have come to believe that there is no solution
 country’s capital, New Delhi, on October 2 under   debtedness Bill and Farmers’ right to guaranteed   The crisis in the agriculture sector is a national   to their hardships. The UPA government led by Dr
 the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union to raise their   remunerative minimum support price for agri-  crisis and why should the Parliament not discuss   Manmohan Singh constituted the National Com-
 demands. This massive protest was one of the latest   culture produce — were presented in the Kisan   this? We need to break the myth that our farmers   mission for Farmers, ostensibly to bring about a
 after a similar protest staged at Parliament Street   Mukti Sansad. This ended by declaring a plan for a   are a happy lot because a happy farmer does not   comprehensive change in the deteriorating con-



 TEHELKA / 31 OCTOBER 2018  14  WWW.TEHELKA.COM  TEHELKA / 31 OCTOBER 2018  15  WWW.TEHELKA.COM


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