'Kisan March' in Delhi from Nov 28-30, says AIKS gen secy, slams Cong, BJP govts for farmers' plight

Slamming the BJP and the Congress governments for the plight of farmers in the country, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) General Secretary Hannan Mollah said a march would be organised in the national capital from November 28 to 30 to press for the pending demands of the farmers.

Asserting that farmers' issues continue to be at the centre of the Left parties' political activities, he claimed that successive governments' "failure" to bring "land reforms" has triggered the "agricultural crisis".

"Agricultural crisis is manifested in different ways and there are historical reasons behind it. The main cause of agricultural crisis is failure to bring about land reforms. After Independence, if the farmers had got land then their condition would have been better," Mollah told PTI in an interview.

Alleging that after Independence the government had not taken steps for land reforms with the agricultural sector as its prime focus, he alleged that the then ruling party maintained close affinity with landlords of major states.

He also hit out at the BJP government at the centre, accusing it of not fulfilling his 2014 electoral promises to farmers while terming its announcement of hike in minimum support prices (MSPs) of 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane "a hoax".

Alleging that while agricultural inputs costs have increased many folds, farmer are not getting due price of their products, Mollah said, "The BJP is now seeking to hoodwink farmers by planning an aggressive campaign for the general elections next year."
"This pattern of distress migration indicates that the agrarian crisis has burst from the seams of rural India, undermining both the country's food security and our collective food sovereignty," Mollah said, asking, "Why cant' the same government waive farmers' loan which is near about half of the loans waived for industrialists?"