THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), in a statement issued on June 7, has strongly condemned the police firing on farmers in two places in Mandsaur district in the BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh. The farmers were demanding remunerative prices for their produce and debt waiver, which the state government had earlier promised but failed to implement. Six farmers were killed in the firing and several more were seriously injured.

The CITU demands that the state government should immediately concede the genuine demands of the farmers. Those responsible for ordering the unprovoked firing on the farmers peacefully agitating on their just demands should be immediately suspended and a proper enquiry should be conducted. CITU also demands that the state government should immediately provide adequate financial support to the families of all those killed in the police firing and ensure effective medical care to all those injured in the incidents.

The CITU extends its full support and solidarity to the farmers in Maharashtra who have been on strike from June 1 with the same demands – remunerative price for their produce and loan waiver. The farmers have refused to bring their produce like vegetables, fruits, milk etc to the cities in protest.

The BJP government in Maharashtra has betrayed the farmers by not implementing its poll promise of increasing the minimum support price to one and a half times the cost of inputs, pension for farmers and agricultural workers and uninterrupted electricity and water for agriculture.  Instead of conceding the demands of the farmers in the state that has been reeling under drought and witnessed huge numbers of farmers’ suicides, the BJP government of Fadnavis is blaming the political parties for the agitation.

The CITU demands that the Maharashtra government should immediately accept the demands of the farmers in the state and implement its poll promises.

The CITU calls upon all its state committees to extend their solidarity to the farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra as well as in different parts of the country, struggling on their genuine demands.