New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, spearheading the protest against the three farm laws, on Friday called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on September 25 aimed at further strengthening and expanding the farmers’ agitation, which began in November last year.
“We are calling for a ‘Bharat bandh’ on September 25. This is happening after a similar ‘bandh' was organised on the same date last year,” Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Ashish Mittal said.
“We hope that it would be more successful than the one last year which was held amid the coronavirus pandemic,” he added.
Mittal, also the convener of the all-India convention by farmers that concluded on Friday, said the two-day event that witnessed the participation of representatives from 22 states, of not just 300 farm unions, but also members of organisations that work for the welfare of women, labourers, tribals as well as youth and students was a success.
“During the convention, it was discussed as to how the government has been pro-corporate and attacking the farming community,” PTI quoted Mittal as saying while addressing a press conference at Delhi’s Singhu border.
“Our demands for repeal of all three pro-corporate farm laws, legal guarantee for MSP (Minimum Support Price) of all crops, repeal of Electricity Bill, 2021, no prosecution of farmers under the 'Commission of AQ Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Bill 2021' were reiterated during the convention,” he added.
Earlier on Thursday, the farmers’ protest against the three contentious laws - the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 - completed nine months since they first arrived at the Delhi borders.
The farmers, who have been demanding the repeal of the laws, fear this will do away with the MSP system and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.
Over 10 rounds of talks with the Central government, which has been projecting the three laws as major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between both sides.