THE All India Kisan Sabha activists holding red flags, along with farmers from across the country, participated in the Kisan Mukti Sansad at Jantar-Mantar in New Delhi on July 18. The Kisan Mukti Sansad was the culmination of the first phase of the Kisan Mukti Yatra which began on July 6 from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh where six farmers were killed in police firing onJune 6, 2017.

After the Mandsaur firing, over 162 organisations came together to form the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC). AIKS and Bhumi Adhikar Andolan representing over 300 organisations of the peasantry, agricultural workers, adivasis and dalits also were part of this initiative. The issue based unity built involving hundreds of organisations was on the demands of full loan waiver of the peasantry and fair prices as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. The yatra passed through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana before reaching Delhi.

The Kisan Mukti Sansad began by paying homage to the martyrs and farmers who committed suicide across the country. V M Singh, convenor of AIKSCC welcomed the protestors. AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah addressed the Kisan Mukti Sansad and attacked the Narendra Modi led BJP government for betrayal of the promises made to farmers and for increasing hardships of the peasantry. On behalf of the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, Medha Patkar and Dr Sunilam also spoke at the Sansad. Raju Shettyi, MP and Yogender Yadav and others who were part of the yatra also addressed. Ayyakkannu leader of Tamil Nadu Farmers for River Linking also spoke at the Sansad. Children of farmers who committed suicide also attended and a pledge to make India free of farmers’ suicide was made.

Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary and MP (Rajya Sabha) assured that the issues of the farmers will be raised in the parliament as well as on the streets and expressed solidarity with the struggle. Tapan Sen, MP, general secretary, CITU, Jitendra Choudhary, MP, convenor, Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch, and CPI(M) MPs Mohammed Salim, Badruddoza Khan, Shankar Prasad Datta, P Karunakaran, M B Rajesh, K K Raghesh, Janata Dal (U) leader Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar JD(U) MP, Dharamvir Gandhi, AAP MP were among those who expressed solidarity.

AIKS leaders from different states attended the Kisan Mukti Sansad. The Kisan Mukti Sansad resolved to continue the united struggle across the country against the anti-peasant neo-liberal policies.

AIKS congratulates the Rajasthan peasantry for the historic Kisan Curfew held on July 17 on the immediate demands of the peasantry under the leadership of the Kisan Sabha, as well as the Maharashtra peasantry for their state-wide yatra against betrayals of the BJP governments at the state and centre.