BKU to launch state-level stir from Kaithal on Feb 26

Tribune Reporters

Kaithal/Kurukshetra, February 7

The Bhartiya Kisan union (BKU) will launch a state-level indefinite agitation from Kaithal on February 26 to force the government to accept long-standing demands of farmers, state BKU President Gurnam Singh Charuni said here today.

He said implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report and the waiver of outstanding loans of famers were their two main demands.

He lamented that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar had promised to implement the Swaminathan Commission report in the past Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Despite repeated reminders to the Central and state governments, no action had been taken on their demands, said the BKU leader. He said the government was ready to implement the Seventh Pay Commission report but when it came to providing relief to farmers who had been hit the most in the last couple of years, the government continued to remain insensitive, forcing many of them to commit suicide.

The BKU leader said it was a do-or-die situation for them and the agitation would continue till their demands were conceded. Suresh Koth, president of the Bhartiya Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Haryana, said they were ready to make any sacrifice for the cause of farmers.

Charuni said they would expose the BJP leaders with evidences of taking a U-turn on the farmers’ key issues.

Meanwhile, BKU activists were busy in placing orders for printing posters of the half-naked protests led by Dhankar in support of better crop prices during the Congress government at the Centre in 2012-13.

Also, audio clips from election speeches made by the Prime Minister on implementing the Swaminathan Commission report were also proposed to be publicised to garner support for the farmers’ issues.

Dr MS Swaminathan, known as father of the Green Revolution, had submitted his report to the then UPA government in 2006 to make farming a profitable avocation.

Charuni said political party use the farming community as vote banks only.

“By waiving loans of corporate houses and industry alone, the BJP government’s anti-farmer face is exposed. While debt-ridden farmers committed suicides due to repeated crop failures in various parts of the country, the Central and the state governments remain unmoved. Their promises on implementing the Swaminathan Commission report to ensure better pricing for crops have proved a hoax,” said Charuni.

He said the Centre waved loans of rich corporate houses to the tune of Rs 5 lakh crore whereas the foodgrain growers were left to die under burden of debts.

The 7th Pay Commission for the government employees would put an additional burden of Rs 3 lakh crore and it was welcomed by all, but the establishment raised questions on loan waiving scheme for the farmers, he said.