THE 38th state conference of the All India Kisan Sabha, Punjab unit was held at Bhawanigarh (Sangrur) on June 5-6, 2016. A mass rally was organised on the occasion of this two-day state conference on June 7. Gurchetan Singh Bassi presided over the rally. Addressing the rally, Hannan Mollah, all India general secretary of the AIKS said that the agricultural crisis all over the country has put the peasantry in distress. “The industrialists decide the price of the product produced in their factories but unfortunately the price of the crop produced by the peasant is decided and fixed by the middlemen and the government," he said and further elaborated that the cost of inputs is constantly increasing but the procurement price fixed by the middlemen and government is very low which has resulted in increasing heavy debts on the peasantry, leading to suicides. Hannan Mollah condemned the pro-corporate and anti-peasant policies of the Modi led NDA government which have resulted in 26 percent increase in suicides by peasants during the Modi regime. He told the gathering that the BJP in its manifesto had promised to implement the recommendations of Dr Swaminathan Committee for fixing MSP (minimum support price) but now the Modi government has given an affidavit in the court that it cannot implement the Swaminathan Committee recommendations. He announced that a big rally will be organised in Delhi in the month of December, 2016 on the issues faced by the peasantry. Sukhwinder Sekhon, general secretary of AIKS Punjab unit while addressing the rally said that the Modi government brought an anti-peasantry Land Acquisition Bill through ordinances which was opposed by the AIKS and all other democratic and pro-peasantry organisations. Due to the pressure mounted, the Modi government was forced to retreat. Charan Singh Virdi, CPI(M) state secretary stated that 3.25 lakh peasants had committed suicide due to indebtedness. He further said that AIKS in Punjab has a proud history and it has won many struggles including the famous Khush Hashiyat Tax struggle. Gurchetan Singh Bassi appealed to the peasants not to take to the route of suicides but get prepared for struggles which alone can help them to come out of the agricultural crisis. He demanded implementation of the Swaminathan Committee recommendations for fixing MSP (minimum support price) of the crops. Bant Singh Namol, Major Singh Punnawal, Chand Singh Chopra, ex MLA, Dharam Pal Sheel, Roop Basant Waraich, Tarsem Singh Bhallari, Gurnek Singh Bhajjal, Major Singh Bhikhiwind, Vijay Misra, CITU state president, Ranbir Singh Virk and other leaders addressed the conference.