The following is the press statement issued by the All India Kisan Sabha on January 23, 2015

THE central kisan committee of the All India Kisan Sabha was held at Hyderabad on January 22. The meeting noted that the last six months has seen the unfolding of the enormous betrayal of the people’s mandate by the BJP government. One by one the government has been implementing policies that have increased the burden on the masses. The hard-won rights of the peasantry and rural poor as well as the toiling masses are being systematically curtailed. There is further intensification of the neo-liberal economic policies and also increased communalisation and implementation of a divisive agenda that threatens the unity of the peasantry and working classes.

The CKC expressed serious concern at the unprecedented rise in farmers’ suicides after the Narendra Modi led NDA government has taken over. In Telangana alone in the six month period after the new government was formed, 642 farmers committed suicide. Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra have also been reporting an increase in farmers’ suicides with over 500 farmers reported committing suicide in this period. In West Bengal there are reports of even paddy farmers committing suicide which is unprecedented. The agrarian crisis has not spared any state and even states like Punjab are seeing an increase in suicides due to indebtedness. AIKS will mobilise the peasantry and rural poor, build broad united movement and channelise their anger against the neo-Liberal economic policies and the BJP-led NDA government which has been implementing these policies even more vigorously.

The CKC Meeting decided to immediately launch a movement against the unjust Land Acquisition Ordinance which aids corporate profiteering and real estate speculation at the expense of the peasantry and dependents on land. On January 30, along with AIKS (Ajoy Bhavan) and other Kisan and Agricultural Workers’ Organisations protests will be held at all district headquarters and copies of the ordinance will be burnt. A March to Parliament will be held against the Land Acquisition Ordinance during the budget session. It was resolved to resist any moves to hand-over land for corporate profiteering without ensuring prior informed consent, social impact assessment, protection of food security, common property resources, adequate compensation, effective rehabilitation and resettlement.

The CKC condemned the government’s move to gradually do away with the MGNREGA and decided that this anti-people move shall be resisted tooth and nail by mobilising the rural people on struggle path. The CKC also discussed the precarious condition of the peasantry due to unremunerative prices and price crash. Rubber, tea, jute, pepper, cotton, tur, groundnut and other crops have been witnessing drastic fall in prices and even for crops like paddy there is no procurement. Sugarcane farmers are not getting prices commensurate to the costs of production and sugar mills are yet to clear thousands of crores worth of arrears. Crop-specific struggles will be launched uniting broadest possible sections and in the case of jute, joint struggle with trade unions will be held. The AIKS will also launch intense campaign against communalisation and for promoting communal harmony.

Struggles on burning issues of the peasantry like fertiliser shortages, electricity problems, market related problems, absence of procurement centres etc., will be taken up by all state units. The CKC also decided to complete its membership campaign, consolidate and expand the movement to newer areas.