CPIM politburo member Brinda Karat on Sunday urged the Centre to ensure a minimum support price (MSP) for farmers’ crops in accordance with the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.
Addressing the 36th national conference of the All India Kisan Sabha at NG College grounds in Nalgonda, she said farmers could achieve self-sufficiency if they were assured of MSP and affordable electricity. They would no longer need to depend on the government for monthly assistance of `6,000, she said, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abandon his “duplicitous stance”.
She recalled that farmers had fought against the three farm laws and forced the government to reconsider them. She alleged that the government’s allegiance to vested interests remained unchanged and that it continued to mortgage farmers’ interests to corporate entities.
Brinda Karat alleged that the BJP government, rooted in the ideology of the BJP and RSS, was weakening the Constitution and its institutions, as well as values such as secularism, justice and equality. She said the government was implementing policies aimed at handing over the country’s agricultural sector to domestic and foreign corporate entities and agribusiness companies.
Questioning the India-US trade agreement, she asked whether the Modi government had consulted farmers before signing it. She said the agreement would have a severe impact on the farming community and demanded that it be halted.
Referring to rising prices of essential commodities, she said the costs of rice, pulses, edible oils and vegetables had doubled. She alleged that the Modi government was citing the ongoing war to evade responsibility for the price rise.
Brinda Karat sought an end to the privatisation of the electricity sector and what she described as exploitation under the guise of smart meters.
Turning to the state government, she said the Congress government had pledged to protect democracy and the Constitution. She urged it to oppose the disenfranchisement of voters in Telangana and Delhi.
Questioning the status of Adivasi rights, she said the state government must ensure the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Telangana if it was committed to the Constitution. She pleaded for an end to the forced eviction of Adivasis from their lands and said they should not be treated as “encroachers”. She sought grant of legal rights over their lands to Adivasis.
A large rally was taken out from Marriguda bypass road to NG College grounds, the venue of the AIKS conference. Farmers participated in the rally carrying union flags. Former MLA and AIKS reception committee president Julakanti Ranga Reddy and others attended the meeting.
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