'Farmers have lost faith in Modi govt': AIKSCC calls for Bharat Bandh on Sept 25

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a conglomerate of more than 215 farmer unions, has called for Bharat Bandh on September 25 against the three agricultural ordinances. In an exclusive chat with ETV Bharat, AIKSCC convener VM Singh said that the farmers have lost faith in the Modi government.

New Delhi: With the Lok Sabha passing the three contentious agricultural ordinances, All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) convener Sardar VM Singh on Friday said that the farmers have lost faith in the Modi government, and would continue to oppose the proposed legislations till the are rolled back or amended.

The three ordinances presented in the form of Bills before the Parliament on the first day of Monsoon session were been passed by the Lok Sabha despite fierce opposition from farmers unions and opposition parties. Shiromani Akali Dal MP and Cabinet minister in Modi Government, Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the post, calling these Bills anti-farmer.

Farmer unions across the country have been protesting against the bills ever since they were brought in the form of ordinance, and have intensified their protests since Monday, when the Monsoon session of the Parliament began.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a conglomerate of more than 215 farmer unions, has called for Bharat Bandh on September 25 and their workers are gathering substantial support from almost every state in the country to oppose these bills on the ground.

In an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, Sardar VM Singh, the national convener of AIKSCC, said that the farmers have lost faith in the Modi government and they will continue opposing these Bills till the are rolled back or amended as per their demands.

Read:Cong dubs fight against farm ordinances 'Mahabharata', likens BJP to 'Kauravas'

"How can we trust PM Modi when he never fulfilled what he promised to the farmers. In his campaign during 2014 general elections, he promised MSP at C2+50 formula as recommend by Swaminathan Commission, but when came to power he could only give MSP on A2+FL. He also promised to make farmers debt free, and for sugarcane farmers his government announced timely payment or with interest payment in case of delayed payment," Singh said.

"But on the ground, none of these promises have actually been fulfilled. Now they are saying that the MSP arrangement will remain as it is, why did they not mention this in the bill then?" he questioned.

The farmer leader said that the Amendment in Essential Commodities Act will affect the food security for poor.

"When essential commodities like Pulses, Onion, potatoes and other food grains will no more be covered under the Act, what will happen to the vulnerable? Poor people will not get food grains through the PDS schemes. This will contradict PM Modi's promise of giving free/subsidised food grains to poor people through government schemes," he said.

Meanwhile, PM Modi himself assured that the MSP arrangement will not be disturbed, and the Union Agriculture Minister too assured the same while the discussion was going on in the Parliament.

Read:Punjab farmer commits suicide over farm bills

However, experts suggested that there is a communication gap between the farmer unions and the government, opining that the government should have discussed these Bills with farmer bodies and taken their feedback. Some experts even emphasised on the need to create awareness among the farmers as they might not have understood the benefits of these Bills.

However, VM Singh said that the working group of AIKSCC are fully aware of the contents of these Bills and are ready to discuss it with the government on any platform.

VM Singh further said that farmers are ready to accept the Bill in only condition that they are amended and if MSP is compulsorily made part of the Bill.

"It should be mentioned in the bill that nobody can purchase below the MSP and if any company does so, it will be a punishable offense. If the government makes this Amendment, we will not be bothered about any private company entering the sector or making agreements with farmers," he said.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 was cleared by Lok Sabha on Tuesday and other two bills - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 were passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Read:Resignation beginning of struggle, SAD will stand by farmers: Harsimrat