Report
Lakhs of Farmers Protest Farm Bills
kisan

On the first day of Parliament session 15 September 2020, farmers across the country came out in resounding protest in response to the call given by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC). From Jantar Mantar in Delhi to villages across the country, lakhs of farmers protested against the Modi government's policies which are turning the country's farming and farmers into slaves of corporate and multinational companies. The following are the demands made by the farmers from the Modi government: withdraw all three anti-farmer ordinances; withdraw the Electricity Bill Amendment Act; slash petrol-diesel prices; implement One Nation One MSP. In addition to the 250 farmers' organizations associated with AIKSCC, BKU (Tikait) also organized dharna protess for withdrawal of the 3 ordinances. Farmers' mobilization was witnessed in various parts of the country. 15,000 farmers gathered at Barnala in Punjab, mobilized by Punjab Kisan Union (AIKM) and Bharatiya Kisan Union Dhakonda. The huge rally at Barnala was addressed by AIKM President Comrade Ruldu Singh. Thousands of farmers protested at 5 cities in Punjab. AIKM General Secretary Rajaram Singh attended the protest at Patna.

The protest at Jantar Mantar was led by AIKSCC National Convener VM Singh, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, AIKM leaders Prem Singh Gehlawat, Purushottam Sharma, AIKKMS leader Satyavan, AIKKS leader Comrade Vimal, AIKS leader Bhagat Singh, Dharampal Moradabad and many others. The protests at Kolkata, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar were led by leaders of farmers' organizations including Jai Kisan Andolan and All India Kisan Mahasabha. BKU president Rakesh Tikait was stopped at the Ghazipur border on his way to Delhi and he and other farmers held a dharna protest on the spot.

According to the report given by AIKM Bihar State Secretary Ram Adhar Singh, protests were organized at dozens of places in Bihar, including Gardani Bagh in Patna, Patna City, Patna Rural, Naubatpur, Paliganj, Beguserai, Vaishali, 9 Blocks in Bhojpur, Agiaon, Nawada, Shekhpura, Nalanda, and Arwal.

Protests in Uttar Pradesh were organized at Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Rae Bareli, Lakhimpur Kheeri, Chandoli, Sonbhadra, Ghazipur, Mathura, Moradabad and Jalaun. Protests were held at Nainital and Almora in Uttarakhand, Ramgarh, Giridih and other Districts in Jharkhand, Bhubaneshwar, Raigarha and Puri in Odisha, Jhinjhunu and other paces in

Rajasthan. Protest programs were also organized in Andhra Pradesh, Puduchery, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana by AIKM. 30,000 farmers in Tamil Nadu have signed on the charter of demands prepared by the TN AIKM unit.

A memorandum was submitted by farmers across the country to the President of India on 14 September 2020. The memorandum appealed to the President to support the farmers in their struggle against the attacks on them by the government during the Lockdown period.

Jant
Delhi, Jantar-Mantar
bhr
Bihar
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Telengana
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West Bengal

 

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