THE All India Kisan Council met at Wardha to discuss the deep agrarian crisis and the necessary struggles of the peasantry to counter it. Reports from several states, presented before the Council, have confirmed the ground reality and the impact of the crisis on the life of rural people. On the one hand, the attack on democratic rights of the farmers have intensified in West Bengal while on the other, the authoritarian trends of the Modi government have found expression in different anti-farmer policies. For the first time, paddy and potato farmers are committing suicide under the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in West Bengal as there is massive price crash of paddy, potato and jute, and as a result of the failure of the government to procure these crops at minimum support price. The growing united resistance of the peasants is met with brutal attacks, eviction from their houses by TMC goons and implicating thousands in false cases. The struggles for restoration of democracy and for getting a proper price for their crops are gaining strength in the state. The farmers of Kerala are facing an acute crisis due to fall in rubber prices as a result of the Free Trade Agreement. Paddy farmers are not getting the minimum support price. Lakhs of rubber growers and workers are in great trouble and are even forced to commit suicide. But the massive protests culminating into rural Kerala bandh have shown the determination of the farmers to fight back. The peasants of Tripura are also facing the impact of globalisation. A large number of small rubber growers and small tea growers are facing price crash. The central government failed to provide fund for MGNREGA in spite of best implementation of the programme in the state. Kisan Sabha and Gana Mukti Parishad, along with Khet Mazdoor Union, are intensifying their struggles every day. Land grabbing by corporates in Odisha is facing growing resistance from the tribal population and peasants. The paddy and potato growers were forced to sell their products at much less price, which is even below their cost of production, and there is no procurement at minimum support price. In Madhya Pradesh, lakhs of tribal people applied for patta under the Forest Act but most of their applications were rejected by the BJP-led state government. A large number of rural people and farmers, displaced due to Narmada Dam, have not yet been rehabilitated. Joint struggle is developing against it. A large part of Telangana suffered severe drought but the TRS-led state government failed to declare those districts as drought-affected and no compensation were paid to lakhs of farmers. It resulted in the largest number of farmers committing suicides in Telangana. Kisan Sabha and other mass organisations jointly fought and got some compensation. In Maharashtra, the Vidarbha areas experienced higher number of suicide by farmers due to continuous drought crop damage and lack of any compensation. Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for the first time registered farmer suicides. There was untimely rain damaging huge amount of paddy, wheat, cotton, mustard etc. About 1.80 million hectares of land was affected in the country due to such unseasonal rain and hailstorm. The government declared compensation but it has not reached the farmers. Basmati rice price crashed from Rs 6,000 per quintal to less than Rs 2,000. Many farmers in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh committed suicide due to such heavy crop loss. There was massive discontent of farmers in Karnataka and there also farmers committed suicide in large numbers due to crop loss and indebtedness. Sugarcane growers have not paid by the mill owners, though government gave huge loan to the owners. MGNREGA is not being implemented and there were dues to workers. The Kisan Sabha built up united struggle with many other kisan organisations and organised 400-km padayatra and massive protest rally at Bangalore. In Rajasthan, the farmers fought and forced the government and private insurance companies to pay crores of rupees for their crop loss. Farmers in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab were facing serious problems due to crop damage by wild animals. Wild monkey, boars, neelgai, wild deer destroyed crops and fruits in thousands of hectares of land. Farmers in Himachal Pradesh fought against forced land acquisition and police lodged FIR against them. In Jharkhand, the BJP government decided to grab huge land from the tribals for the Master Plan. The tribal farmers were resisting unitedly. In Andhra Pradesh, the sugarcane growers were fighting for their arrears. In the whole country, about Rs 30,000 crores arrears was not paid to farmers by mill owners. This is one of the main problems in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar etc. The government helped the owners with Rs 12,000 crore but the farmers did not get their dues. These states should jointly build strong movement for the payment of arrears. All the above reports from states only confirm the decision of Kisan Sabha that the country was passing through serious agrarian crisis and farming was growingly becoming a loss-making venture. There was continuous pauperisation of farmers and life in the rural India became intolerable for poor, agricultural workers, landless and marginal peasants. On the one hand, peasants are not getting price for their crops and their production cost increased tremendously due to increase of input costs and on the other hand their distress intensified due to severe price rise of food and consumer goods. The AIKS examined the situation and concluded that the one year of Modi rule has only made the farmers’ lives miserable. The pro-corporate and anti-farmer policy of the BJP government was responsible for the intensification of agrarian crisis. Before election, they promised a rosy picture for peasantry but after coming to power, they betrayed them. The rightward shift in political, social and economic policies has caused havoc in the lives of the people, particularly those in rural areas. Due to aggressive implementation of neo-liberal policies, the profiteering of corporate houses increased manifold. But pauperisation of rural people intensified. The agricultural production increased only by 1.1 per cent under the Modi rule in spite of all the talks of GDP growth. Unemployment became all-time high and that was more so in rural areas. Massive migration was seen in many parts of the country. MGNREGA funds have been slashed by half and that too not given to states in time which deepened rural joblessness. The denial of paying MSP as cost plus 50 per cent, as promised by Modi, was the great betrayal. No cheaper institutional credit to farmers, especially to the poor, marginal and middle peasants who were forced to go to moneylenders. There was continuous depleting of income of farmers. The allocation of agriculture and rural development was drastically reduced. There was an attempt to weaken FCI and procurement which would lead to destroying public distribution system. The Shanta Kumar Committee report was the instrument to achieve that anti-people goal of the Modi government. In this context, the worst attack against farmers came in the form of the Land Acquisition Ordinance. This was to facilitate land grab by the corporates and snatch whatever small rights of farmers had on their land, the only means of their livelihood. This ordinance was a return to the British colonial land grab act. The provisions of consent, social impact assessment, and protection of multi-crop irrigated land had been taken away and new provision added in the name of industrial corridor to acquire 1 km land on both sides of railway and national highways. All these attacks were discussed in the Council meeting and decisions taken to resist it. The specific problems of crops like paddy, wheat, cotton, silk, potato, banana, coffee, jute, rubber, sugarcane were discussed and crop-wise movements planned for certain crops immediately such as jute, sugarcane and rubber. The Council condemned the ban on cow slaughter by BJP-led state governments of Haryana and Maharashtra as anti-farmer and communal. There was no religion in it. This would cause more problems for farmers who sell old bulls every year and purchase new one, sell cattle when they need money for managing medical and other immediate purposes. They would be forced to feed old cattle which would not give them any income. This would deprive crores of poor people their cheap protein food. Lakhs of Dalit and minority workers in meat business would loose their job. Lakhs of workers engaged in leather and shoe making would be in trouble and it was an attack on democratic rights of people to choose their food. The government should compensate to the farmers for all the losses of farmers. The meeting also discussed the Socio Economic and Caste Census and expressed serious concern over the findings that slow improvement in the life and growth of the poor people after Independence. The report would be studied further and adequate programme for struggle would be taken up by Kisan Sabha. The Council demanded the release of caste census data immediately. The Council also reviewed the movements led by Kisan Sabha since its last meeting. It was noted in the Council that intervention from the Centre increased. On all important issues relating to farmers, the Centre intervened such as Kasturirangan Report, sugarcane price and its arrear payments. Crop loss due to natural calamities, price crush of crops etc., the timely initiative in taking up Land Acquisition Ordinance caused enthusiasm in the organisation and all the actions such as burning of copies of the ordinance, observing land rights day, protest and rallies and seminars on it in states at all levels, signature campaign and two rallies before Parliament brought successfully land issue in the main agenda of discussion in the country and forced the government to a step back. This movement brought unity of Kisan Sabha and Agricultural Workers Union and large number of social movements at the national level and it encouraged the states to build a broad united kisan movement in all the states. A new situation of broader kisan struggle had been created. Along with this, all Left Kisan and Khet Mazdoor organizations had unitedly moved and future of joint struggle has brightened. We have to carry it further. The meeting also made a mid-term review of the implementation of decisions of the 33rd All India Conference. It was noted that the organisational activities have increased even though many old weaknesses remained. There was decline of membership in the last few years. Because of massive semi-fascist attack in rural Bengal, the enrollment reduced. But the Kisan Sabha successfully resisted the attack and increased membership by 10 per cent. Last year, the membership decreased in 17 states but due to continuous efforts, the situation changed and most of those states increased members in 2014-15 except a few states. Total membership has reached 1,70,82,960. The states have begun scrutinising the membership and the process of registration also started. The tasks fixed by last conference were also implemented to some extent. The central functioning has improved and many states also improving collective functioning. There is scope of further improvement. The Council discussed the suicide of farmers seriously. It was decided that Kisan Sabha leaders would visit the families of those who committed suicide. The basic information would be collected from those families and a report in form of booklet would be published. Besides, the members from those families would come to Delhi. There would be a 48-hour sit-in before Parliament on August 10-11, 2015. At least 200 families would take part. All political parties and MPs would be invited to that dharna. It would bring the suicide of farmers on the national agenda. Besides, the Left kisan and khet mazdoor organisations met and decided to build movements together. Against the land acquisition ordinance, these organizations are moving jointly. Now a fortnight of campaign would be observed all over the country from August 16 to 31 to propagate the demands of the farmers and a charter of demands has been finalised. September 1 would be observed as Kisan Demand Day. The joint movement on land ordinance developed and a platform emerged as “Land Rights Movement”. This movement has been going on. It was further decided that a public hearing would be organised on August 23 at Muktadhara Auditorium in Delhi. Farmers from different parts of the country would attend. The Chairman and members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Land Bill have been invited to attend and listen to the farmers. The Council extended its full support to the general strike on September 2, called by eleven Central Trade Unions. As kisans are under attack by the Modi raj, the working class is also under severe attack. Kisan Sabha would campaign on the demands of the workers and organised massive farming people on the day of strike and organise rasta roko/rail roko to make the strike a grand success. Besides, the Council decided to build up struggle on local issues. The demands of the poor peasants, landless and marginal peasants, share croppers, tenant farmers, and agricultural workers would be taken up during local movements all over the country. The Council also decided to build up crop-wise movement. For this: • The jute growers meeting will be held at Kolkata Kisan Sabha office on August 15 at 12 noon. Representatives from West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana will attend. • Sugarcane growers’ convention would be held in Tamil Nadu. Their representatives from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar would attend. • Rubber growers’ convention would be held in Kerala. The representatives from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Tripura and other rubber growing states would attend. Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet Centenary would be observed by Kisan Sabha in its centre and states. Seminars and memorial meetings would be organised to discuss his teachings on the kisan movement. A booklet on his writing/speech on this matter would be published. A massive kisan rally is also being planned before Parliament during the next Budget Session.