By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: As farmers’ agitation gaining momentum, All India Kisan Sabha, a conglomerate of peasant organizations, has given a call for ‘Massive Jail Bharo’ struggle on August 9, 2018– coinciding with “Quit India Day”. AIKS has claimed that thousands of peasants will participate in this struggle at the district level across India. It also announced that 10 crore signatures will be collected from the people and submitted to the Prime Minister through the district collectors.
Addressing a press conference here, AIKS president Dr. Ashok Dhawale said the struggle on ‘Quit India Day’ signifies the importance of the fight against ‘imperialist-driven pro-corporate economic policies known as neo-liberal reforms” that are being intensified by the rabidly “communal Narendra Modi Government”.
Referring Flipkart deal with global giant Walmart, Dr. Dhawale said the BJP led Government, for the first time in the history of the country, has allowed 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in agriculture and retail trade, declared introduction of contract farming under the aegis of Multinational- Transnational corporate institutions and E-Platform to link agriculture markets all over the country to facilitate corporate procurement.
The BJP-RSS combine has dropped their tall claim of ‘swadeshi policies’ and has become completely “subservient to imperialist” powers led by the USA, he added.
He recalled that the BJP in its election manifesto in 2014 had promised a comprehensive loan waiver, a remunerative price at 50% above cost of production to all crops, 2 crore employment generation per year to prevent agrarian distress and related migration, crop insurance, electricity and irrigation to all agriculture fields etc but miserably failed.
In response to a question, Dr. Dhawale said the ban on cattle trade and unbridled organized crime of killing innocent people from Minority and Dalit sections in the name of the cow through mob lynching by the Sangha Parivar organizations have badly affected the cattle economy and ruined the subsistence livelihood of the peasantry.
“Demonetization and GST have deeply affected the agrarian economy, destabilized the federal character of states and widely destroyed both employment and income of peasants, workers and petty traders. The 4 years of Modi Raj are full of failures and reckless onslaughts on the peasantry.”
The Kisan Sabha will submit a charter of demands to the Government of India and if it is not willing to change the reckless anti-peasant policies that aggravate the agrarian crisis, then the peasantry will intensify their relentless struggles with the help of other sections like workers, petty traders, students, youth, women and other social sections including Dalits, Adivasis and minorities, said Hannan Mollah, general secretary, AIKS.
As part of the ongoing struggles against the “neo-liberal policies and misrule of the Modi Government”, a huge rally of 5 lakh people will be organised on 5th September 2018 at New Delhi, he said and added that this will be the first Worker-Peasant Rally since the independence of India and the largest rally of the Left and Democratic forces. The rally will be organized jointly by CITU, AIKS, and AIAWU.
P Krishnaprasad and Vijoo Krishnan, Joint Secretary also addressed the media. They said the rally will declare the future course of struggles and give a clarion call to build Left and Democratic political alternative at All India level based on alternative policies for people’s development.
