THE coordination committee of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan which met in New Delhi has decided to intensify the ongoing farmers struggle and called up on the peasantry to participate in large numbers in the district rally, jail bharo programme across the country on August 9.

This will be the largest action as part of the ongoing farmers struggle and will be organised in all the states in the country. BAA has requested active support of central trade unions to make the strike action a success. Peasantry, working class and all other sections of the toiling mass will attend the protest rally.  

The meeting decided to seek appointment of prime minister to submit memorandum with the help of a team of members of parliament. A seven point demand charter as given below has been adopted. The delegation will request PM to convene a meeting of the peasant organisations at the earliest to discuss and resolve the issues confronting the peasantry and settle the ongoing peasant struggle. The charter of demands include:

1. Central government must enact a law to ensure remunerative price of 50 per cent above cost of production to all crops, guarantee purchase centers as recommended by National Farmers’ Commission chaired by M S Swaminathan and to promote development of modern agro-processing and marketing networks under social cooperatives of the peasants.  

2. Comprehensive loan waiver to the peasantry covering institutional as well as private loans. Ensure interest free, institutional credit for agriculture to cover all peasant households and measures on a war-footing to stop peasant suicides. 

3. Immediately withdraw the anti-farmer notification of the central government banning cattle trade in the cattle market. Ensure strict legal action against the communal elements unleashing violence and mob lynching especially against Muslims and dalits in the name of ‘cow protection’.

4. Withdraw formally the land acquisition bill from the parliament and stop all unlawful displacement and eviction.

5. Strict implementation of Forest Rights Act within a stipulated time frame of one year.

6. Comprehensive implementation of MNREGA linking with agriculture and ensure minimum wage to all rural workers.

7. Ensure monthly pension of Rs 5000 at the age of 60 to all agriculture workers and small and marginal peasants holding up to two hectares of land.

The meeting deplored the agrarian policies of the NDA government as highly objectionable and aggravates the acute crisis already existing in many parts of the country. Colossal crash in price of agriculture produce has become the main form of appropriation of surplus in petty production by market forces. The meeting expressed anguish that in the last three years, the promise made in the BJP Manifesto of 2014 election of ensuring 50 per cent profit above cost of production for all crops was not implemented by the BJP led central government.

BAA strongly objects the model of economic development being pursued to promote corporate exploitation and super profits from agriculture, industry, and market apart from appropriation of natural resources for them. The policies such as 100 per cent FDI in agriculture and retailing, e-platform to link all agriculture produce markets, contract farming and Free Trade Agreements that facilitate establishing corporate hegemony over petty production and imposition of Goods and  Service Tax (GST) annihilating the federal character of the country are detrimental to the peasantry and agriculture.

The demonetisation and the resultant crash of market price of all crops and the recent government order banning cattle trade for slaughter that deeply affect the small and poor peasants who own 50 per cent of the cattle wealth have adversely hit the peasant economy.  The unrest is widening among all sections including peasants, workers, dalits, adivasis, minorities, women and the youth.  Peasant suicides have been reported extensively now and this trend is escalating.  The meeting observed that the agrarian crisis will be intensified in the near future if the central government does not change the anti-farmer policies.

The meeting strongly condemned the widespread and unabated mob lynching and violence against Muslim minorities and dalits and the inaction and insensitivity of the various BJP led state governments that embolden the communal elements that could break the unity of the country and the people.