Farmers were gathered at Jantar Mantar, demanding that the promise for MSP on crops be fulfilled.
HIGHLIGHTS –
- The farmers gathered at Jantar Mantar and participated in a ‘mahapanchayat.’
- The ‘mahapanchayat’ was called Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
- There were thousands of farmers who participated, estimated at around five thousand.
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Thousands of farmers, from states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Kerela, gathered in Jantar Mantar.
They participated in a ‘mahapanchayat’ and demanded a law for minimum support price on crops. They claimed that such a law had been promised to them, but never fulfilled.
The mahapanchayat is an umbrella body of over 60 farmer unions and is called Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
There were several other demands raised. Some of them included a fair trial in the Lakhimpur-Khera case, release of the farmers in jail, scrapping of the Agnipath scheme, withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2022, and a hike in sugarcane minimum support price.
Abhimanyu Singh Kohar, an SKM member, and one of the organizers of the Mahapanchayat said that this protest was just the beginning, there are going to be many more.
He also said that tens of thousands of farmers, especially leaders, were stopped at various borders of Delhi. However, many still managed to reach Jantar Mantar.
He also raised a very fair point. He said that the committee formed by the Centre does not have a fair representation of the farmers. They are either associated with BJP or RSS. In such a situation, it is rather naïve to expect them to function in our favor.
On October 3, the Lakhimpur-Khera case would complete one year. It so happened that several farmers, who were taking out a protest march, were run over by a speeding SUV, driven by Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni.
Kohar hinted that there might be another Panchayat held on October 3.
Read More – Farmer unions threaten to protest against PM Modi’s Punjab visit
