Tag: #farmers

Farmer Leader Vows to Resume March to Delhi by Noon

By LokMarg

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that a group of farmers will proceed ‘peacefully’ towards Delhi as part of their ongoing protest.

Speaking to ANI, farmer leader Pandher stated that the government must arrange a talk if it is serious about resolving the matter.

“Our third group, headed by Jaswinder Singh Longowal and Malkit Singh, will proceed from here peacefully, sharp at 12,” Pandher said.

“We are receiving information from Khanauri that Jagjit Singh Dallewal is not keeping well. The whole country is worried about his health except for the PM and Home Minister. Neither are they worried about our Delhi march, nor are they worried about what’s happening in Khanauri… We believe that forming a committee is not a solution to our problem. If the government wants to arrive at a solution, they must arrange talks with us,” he added.

Ambala Deputy Commissioner, Parth Gupta had already clarified that the farmers have not received the permission to protest in Delhi.

“…They have not received the permission to protest in Delhi… If you (farmers) have the required permission, you can go ahead but if not, we will have to stop you… We appeal to the farmers to maintain peace,” Deputy Commissioner Gupta said.

Earlier, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said, “The government has failed. It should hold talks. The hunger strike should end…”

Notably, farmers are asking for a charter of 12 demands, including MSP for crops to be met by the state and Union governments.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has taken on the Congress and the opposition parties on the issue of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Responding to the Congress’ claim of support to farmers and its promise to give MSP to farmers, Saini said that the Congress governments in Himachal and Telangana had failed to buy crops at MSP.

“In the last 10 years, we have bought crops on MSP. The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana cannot say that they will buy crops on 100 per cent MSP. People have understood their reality. In a month, AAP will also start talking about the EVMs. People have rejected them,” Saini said. (ANI)

‘Govt Can’t Make Farmers Protest Fail,’ says Farmer Leader Sarwan Singh Pandher

By LokMarg

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher appealed to the residents of Punjab and Haryana to reach the Khanauri and Shambhu border in large numbers as the farmers’ protest completed ten months.

Speaking to ANI, Pandher said “I appeal to the residents of Punjab and Haryana to reach the Khanauri and Shambhu border in large numbers as our protest has completed 10 months. The government agencies are trying to create a confusion among people and are spreading among the people that the protest cannot be won. Haryana MP Ram Chander Jangra is making irresponsible statements on the protest and I urge the BJP President JP Nadda to expel him from the party or take action against him and he should apologise for his remarks made… “

Further, the farmer leader said that their movement is for the people of India and that the BJP could not make the farmers protest fail.

“The people of India are the largest. The BJP is forgetting that they cannot make the farmers protest fail. We will show the ‘kala chehra’ of the BJP government. the open letter that we have written to the government has left them worried. People are joining the protest in large numbers which is why the BJP government is more worried…the 101 farmers are ready to give their lives for the country. we will fight against this torture the government with patience.

Earlier on December 12, Pandher had slammed the BJP-led central government and accused it of not fulfilling the promises made to the farmers. He added that the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border have not received any proposal from the Centre for negotiations on their demand.

“It has been 305 days since Delhi Andolan 2.0 started and seven days since the ‘Amar Anshan’. The ministers are making irresponsible statements,” Pandher told ANI. (ANI)

Politicians

'Politicians need to deliver on promises'

By LokMarg Publishing


was among them. Lokmarg met Abhishek’s father, Dinesh Patidar. Here’s what he had to say.

I have lost my son; this state (Madhya Pradesh) has lost so many farmers but their situation has not changed one bit. The condition of farmers in the country can be estimated from the fact that if we invest ₹100 in a crop we will earn only ₹40 to 60. Forget profit margins or breaking even, the question is about existence. And the situation is the same for every farmer no matter how much land they have. I was born to be a farmer. In the 1980s we used cattle for farming in 28 bighas (A bigha of land measures a little more than a fourth of an acre) of ancestral land. But as times changed technology came into place. New machinery, equipment, better irrigation facilities, fertilizers, and seeds, but this all has only increased our capital expenditure. We cannot even realise the price of a tubewell even after five years of farming. So despite new kinds of farming, the debt of farmers is only increasing. All the farmers are using latest seeds and fertilizer for better crop so that we can get better prices for our hard work but the end of the day we cannot get adequate price for our cultivation. I feel the government has taken few measures for the relief for farmers but those are only in government files as no relief or aid is reaching farmers. We are getting cheaper electricity but fuel to run latest machinery and equipments are abnormally high. Even the cost of transporting produce from our fields to the mandis (grain and vegetable markets) is only increasing. This region lost many farmers in police firing and lathi-charge in June 2017, but the farmer of this region is still forced to commit suicide. Where will a farmer go if he doesn’t even earn what he has invested? We Patidars believe giving subsidy or writing-off debt is a long-term solution. I strongly believe a farmer can grow only if he gets fair prices for his hard work. Farmer of this country can only prosper if the government makes sure each crop is brought at the right price. We still sometimes recall the violent action in which I lost my son. We are still angry that no action has been taken against the policemen who killed my son. One year after police firing in Mandsaur, anger among farmers persists. Abhishek was a class 12 student and was also one of the five killed in police firing against angry farmers demanding a better price for their produce, and a loan waiver. For political gains, politicians keep coming to our village but none of them are going to get my son back nor can they stop farmers’ suicide. Rahul Gandhi’s Mandsaur’s visit and farmers rally kick-started Congress’ MP election campaign but is there anything he can do in a BJP ruled state? Netas should now deliver their promises made to the farmers or there will be no one to work the fields.

—With editorial assistance from Lokmarg

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