Organize and Support Peasant Resistance to Attacks by Modi Govt.

Hiding behind the mask of Corona Modi led RSS-BJP Govt. has launched a sinister attack against peasants of the country. Eager to please the foreign and domestic corporate, RSS-BJP Govt. has unleashed an attack on the agriculture and the sections dependent on it and on the food availability to the people. Through these legislative measures they have sought to do away with price support to the peasants through MSP and Govt. procurement making them easy prey to the greed of corporate sharks; reduce their rights over land and agricultural practices only to a mere formality and bring the whole agriculture, in which half of the total work force is directly engaged and on which more than two thirds of the people are directly and indirectly dependent, under the direct control of foreign and domestic corporate. Not only agricultural operations but the whole chain including storage of agricultural storage and agro-processing is sought to be brought under corporate control. Individuals (present day toadies) are to be engaged as middlemen of these corporate while the whole village life is sought to be destroyed.

The rulers are justifying this attack under the pretexts which are insulting to the people. They are seeking to portray their own attacks on the peasantry as a justification for launching further attacks. Totally divorced from the needs and aspirations of the agrarian society, the rulers are wondering why the peasantry is resisting now when they had endured so much! If MSP was not benefitting a majority of peasants, was it not the fault of the Govt.? If govt. procurement was abysmally scanty and covered very few crops, was it not the crime against peasantry? And now the same criminals are coming before the people to implore them to excuse even more and bigger crimes. But this crime is murder and peasants are not willing to excuse.

Totally divorced from the agrarian life and concerns of peasantry, rulers are trying to sell mirages to them. Peasants will take advantage of world market, they claim. Who does not know that bulk of Indian peasants (nearly 90%) are small and middle peasants and cannot use even the local market, how they would utilize world market? Only a person having taken leave of senses would imagine that he would take his produce to distant ports when he has no capacity to wait for sale in the nearest market! Sinister RSS-BJP talked of helping the peasants but their Govt. is robbing the peasantry; they talked of doubling their income but their Govt. is now robbing them of their present income also. All talk of peasantry availing of world market is humbug being spread by the Govt. and imperialist funded agencies. This is to make way for flooding India with imports from imperialist countries, first cheap to ruin Indian agriculture and then expensive to extract the last drop of the blood of the toiling masses of India.

RSS-BJP govt.’s attack is in the interest of foreign and domestic corporate, to increase their profits by further opening agriculture to their control. With economic crisis assuming alarming proportions in the world and India being among the worst affected, RSS-BJP Govt. is trying to augment corporate profits. After all, their fascist rule is in the interest of corporate and reactionaries. They have no sympathy for the vast masses, peasants and workers who have suffered immensely during the Corona pandemic; but they have all eagerness to work for their foreign and domestic masters. Parliament could not meet for debating concerns of the people but it had to meet to address the demands of foreign and domestic money bags! Along with handing full control over agriculture to foreign and domestic corporate, Parliament will proceed to rob the workers of whatever rights they have under labour laws.

This attack is very serious and thoroughgoing. To defeat it needs a very thorough and determined effort. The strength of this fight back is increasing realization among peasants that this Govt. is out to finish them. This realization is already quite strong in some parts and growing in others. The flames of struggle will help carry this light to all corners of the country. The peasant struggle alone can defeat this conspiracy against peasants, agriculture, people and the country itself.

Ruling class opposition parties have been lukewarm in fighting against  this attack even when they claim to oppose it. Firstly they are tied to the apron strings of the foreign and domestic corporate, secondly they are afraid of the vast power of repression at the disposal of RSS-BJP Govt. which has further sharpened the weapons of repression. Fear of Corona is only reinforcing this fear.

The stakes are too high. This is no time for cheap tactics. Let those who oppose this dastardly attack come out in open and march with peasants.

And not only peasants it is attack on the whole people. With agriculture totally under the control of private players, where is the question of food security. Only recently when the Govt. had left the workers helpless by imposing brutal lockdown and had forced them out of their work and place of work with only the nature given means of locomotion i.e. their own feet, it was the rural India i.e. Indian agriculture which welcomed them and helped them survive.

CPI(ML)-New Democracy fully supports the struggle against these three Bills. We support the road blocks being done by peasant organizations. We support Bandh and resistance call on September 25 and we will support all steps of agitation as the movement gains in spread and intensity. We call upon all revolutionary activists and sympathizers to fully organize these protests, support them and participate in them. We call upon all sections of the people – workers, youth, students and others to fully support and participate in these struggles. Let the struggle be built systematically and perseveringly to broader and higher level to defeat this conspiracy against Indian peasants and Indian people.

Time to act is now. Let nobody be found wanting.

Central Committee,

CPI(ML)-New Democracy

September 20, 2020