Farmers launch ‘Gaon Bandh’:  vegetable & milk supply to be hit

Farmers across the country on Friday launched a 10-day agitation, ‘Gaon Bandh’ during which they prohibited transport of fresh farm produce or even milk to the cities. Supply of vegetables and dairy produce to urban areas are likely to be affected.

The Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (RKM), an umbrella organisation of 130 farmers’ groups, has been demanding a reasonable Minimum Support Price for their produce, a loan waiver and an assured minimum income.

Meanwhile, All India Kisan Sangharsh Co-ordination Committee (AIKSCC) plans to commemorate June 6 as ‘Mandsaur Shaheed Kisan Smriti Diwas’ on the first anniversary of police firing at Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) in which six farmers had lost their lives.

Convenor of AIKSCC, VM Singh told NH, “It will be a three-day programme, which will include a torch rally (Mashaal Juloos) in Bhopal on Monday, June 4, a commemorative meeting with villagers of Buda village at Mandsaur on June 5 and a day long fast in Takravat village at Mandsaur on June 6.”

AIKSCC recently called on the President of India and demanded that a special session of Parliament be convened to discuss the farm crisis and pass two Farmers’ Bills to ensure freedom from debt and guaranteed remunerative minimum income to farmers.

“ The draft legislations have been created for the very first time by farmers' movements of the country after elaborate consultations. On behalf of the farmers of the country, we have sent the draft to all political parties. Senior leader of 21 parties not only supported the drafts but also signed the resolution that these Bills be taken up in both the Houses on priority basis. Two private members’ bills have already been filed by Raju Shetti in the Lok Sabha and KK Ragesh in the Rajya Sabha.”

Dr Sunilam, one of the members of the delegation that called on President Ram Nath Kovind, said, “We explained to the President that this is the very first time in our history that farmers have drafted two bills for the farmers after elaborate consultations.”

“We also brought up the fact that there is a precedent with regard to a special session when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee convened a special session of the Parliament in December 2003 to discuss the sugarcane crisis in the country following the death of three sugarcane farmers in Manderva in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh.” Why then can’t a special session be convened when 3.5 lakh farmers have committed suicide in the last 15 years, he wondered aloud.

Congress and alliance of farmers' organisation allege that policemen are forcing farmers to sign bonds stating that they would not create trouble during the protest beginning June 1.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to address a farmers’ rally on Wednesday, June 6 next week near Pipliya ‘mandi’, where the firing took place last year.