Press Release – 26th September 2020

• Befitting Reply by Farmers to GOI for 3 Black Farm Bills – Countrywide Protest.
• More than 1 lakh protest programmes with more than 2 crore participation.
• Bhagat Singh 114th birth anniversary to be observed against Kale Sahabs promoting MNCs.

Raising the voice of revolt against the imposition of 3 Farm Bills by forcing them through the Parliament, peasants and agriculture workers have given a befitting reply to the central govt yesterday.

The bandh in Punjab and Haryana was total and there were big road blocks in several parts of Western Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh along with massive protest programs in Eastern UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, AP, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Jammu, Assam and other areas. It is estimated that there were a total of more than 1 lakh protest programmes and more than 2 crore people participated.

On the appeal of the AIKSCC 28th September, 2020, the 114th birth Anniversary of Great Nationalist Revolutionary, Shaheed Bhagat Singh shall be observed all over the country with a call to oust these three Black Farm Bills and other pro MNC, pro Corporate measures like hike in diesel and petrol taxes and prices and the New Electricity Bill 2020 which will raise tariff to Rs 10.20 per unit.

Bhagat Singh’s famous call was not to fight only against the foreign exploiters, the British, but also those who were helping them to rule over and loot Indians. He famously called these compradores of the British as Kaale Sahab and said that if the ‘Gore Sahab’ go away and the ‘Kale Sahab’ rule over India nothing will change. The RSS-BJP’s commitment to help MNC and Corporate loot over Indian agriculture highlights their role as the Kale Sahab’s which Bhagat Singh spoke of.

The bills pushed by the RSS – BJP led Modi govt. allow establishment of Private Mandis by MNCs and Big Corporations outside the purview of the Govt Mandis. They will monopolize purchase and buy crops at dirt cheap prices. Their mandi’s have been exempted from all taxes by Sri Narendra Modi govt. This is a death knell of all govt. procurement, storage and Supply of Ration under PDS. Never have corporations offered good prices when the harvest is good. Modi govt. is running away from its responsibility to farmers and the nation and is pretentiously claiming that MNCs will give good rates.

Modi govt. has labeled these bills Price Assurance (APMC bill) and Income Assurance (Contract farming), promotion of Atmanirbharta, Suraksha Kavach for farmers, etc while in reality they are ‘Sarkari Mandi Bypass’ and ‘Entangling farmers in Corporate Net’ laws. Mandis will be dominated by Private Corporations, farmers will be tied to them through Contract Farming and their land will be mortgaged to private lenders. These laws intensify ‘liberalization’ of govt. facilities which will lead to higher indebtedness and suicides.

Through these Bills the govt. has seriously attacked India’s FOOD SECURITY as all cereals, pulses, oilseeds, potato and onions have been removed from being regulated items under Essential Commodities. The new Bill is a ‘Freedom to Black marketing’ law for Corporations and more than 75 crore PDS beneficiaries forced to buy from them in the open market now.

The Union Agriculture Minister is fooling the nation by saying govt. procurement and MSP will continue. Even now it is implemented sparsely and there is no law to enforce these on the govt. Yet the govt. has made a law to help MNCs and Corporate to control agri markets, proving Bhagat Singh’s warning.

 Released by Dr. Ashish Mital, GS, AIKMS, WG member, AIKSCC