On Friday, the Congress party showed strong support for farmers and their ongoing protests. The farmers are marching from their protest site at Shambhu border, between Punjab and Haryana, to Delhi. This comes after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar spoke out about farmers’ issues at a ceremony in Mumbai. He asked why promises made to farmers were not kept and what should be done to fulfill these promises.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress leader, stated that the Vice President’s remarks have given a big boost to the farmers’ movement. He said farmers are demanding several things, including:
1. A legal promise for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops.
2. Setting MSP at 1.5 times the calculation of growing costs, based on recommendations from the MS Swaminathan Commission.
3. One-time debt relief for farmers, similar to how banks have written off huge amounts owed by private companies.
4. Decisions on importing and exporting farm goods must involve farmers’ opinions, through an independent agency.
5. A restructuring of the PM Fasal Bima Yojana to truly support farmers.
Ramesh also reminded people that the Congress party has promised similar support before the elections. Farmers want a legal guarantee for MSP, especially as they march towards Parliament.
To prepare for the protesters, security forces have been heavily deployed at the Haryana border. The Ambala district has restricted gatherings of five or more people to maintain order. The farmers are organized under groups like Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. They have been at the Shambhu and Khanauri border areas since February 13, after police stopped their march to Delhi last year.
In addition to the MSP demand, farmers want debt waivers, pensions for themselves and farm workers, no increase in electricity rates, the dropping of police charges against them, and justice for victims of violence in 2021. They also want changes to the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 and compensation for families of farmers who died in past protests
Leave a Reply