The attack on farmers has been condemned widely. The Union Cabinet claims 3 farm ordinances to be farmer-friendly. However, farmers allege that government wants to end the MSP regime.

Nirmesh Singh

New Delhi. 11 Sep 2020.

When Farmers protested against the Adharma (three agriculture ordinances) of Central Government and demanded the withdrawal of ordinances, they were lathi charged by police mercilessly on Thursday as they defied state government warnings of not marching towards the grain market in Pipli in Kurukshetra.

The protest was held by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and supported by hundreds of farmers and arhtiyas (middlemen) associations. Similar protests were also held in Haryana and Punjab earlier.

The lathicharge on farmers has been condemned widely.

BKU state unit chief Gurnam Singh said, “The voice of farmers has to be raised, we want withdrawal of these anti-farmer ordinances, which will destroy the peasants and leave them at the mercy of market forces.”

All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) has warned the government to withdraw the 3 Ordinances and other anti-farmer measures or face a nationwide protest and mass resistance. AIKSCC shall lead a protest by its leaders in Delhi on Sept 14, while millions of farmers shall gherao Govt offices in Districts and Subdivisional HQs on 14th September.

AIKSCC said, “Farmers of the country strongly disagree with the RSS vision of cheating the farmers to help the foreign exploiters, crying ‘atmanirbharta’ and inviting MNCs and Indian Corporate to loot the farmers”.

The Indian Express report quoted former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda that he condemned the police lathicharge on protesters and said, “By bringing three anti-farmer ordinances during the coronavirus pandemic, the government has forced the farmer to come out on the streets and protest. No ordinance can be in the interest of the farmers unless it guarantees minimum support price of crops and there is a discussion in Parliament. If the government wants to make any changes in the system, it will have to guarantee the protection of the mandi and the MSP system.”

The Union Cabinet had passed three agriculture ordinances in June: the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, and an amendment in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

The government says that the three ordinances will create a farmer- and trader-friendly environment where they will be able to sell and purchase agricultural produce. However, farmers allege that in the name of reforms, the government is planning to discontinue the MSP regime.

Haryana agriculture minister J.P. Dalal told Hindustan Times that the state government was committed to provide minimum support price (MSP) for all the crops of the farmers in the state.

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