THOUSANDS of peasants and farmers across the country holding the red flags of AIKS protested in over 150 districts at the call of the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan to hold rallies/sit-in/jail bharo on August 9, on the seven main demands of farmers. Hundreds of peasants were detained in few places. In Rajasthan, this protest was held in 15 districts. In Haryana, there was protest at Rohtak commissioner’s office. In Himachal Pradesh, there was a central protest in Shimla in which thousands of peasants participated.

THE peasantry in Rajasthan faces very difficult conditions not only due to the climate which swings from -3 degree centigrade to +50 degree centigrade but also because two thirds of the state is not irrigated. On top of this, the policies of the centre and the state have made the condition of the peasantry much worse. The government is not buying crops at the minimum support price.

THE All India Kisan Sabha is holding its 34th all India conference at Hisar in Haryana from October 3-6, 2017. Formed in 1936 during the peasants struggle against British imperialism and feudal stranglehold, AIKS has achieved the status of the largest all India peasant organisation of India with 1.70 crore members today.  This achievement is a result of tumultuous struggles and many sacrifices made in the fight for land reforms, peasant worker unity, against depredations of the corporate exploitation and communal polarisation, in the more than eight decades of its glorious history.

IN a letter written to the chairperson of the National Commission for Women on June 22, Jharna Das Baidya, Rajya Sabha MP from Tripura, brought to her notice the most deplorable, unlawful and unscrupulous activity of Sushma Sahu, member of the National Commission for Women which is a statutory and prestigious autonomous body established under provision of the Indian constitution.

THE All India Kisan Sabha has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court on June 28 for adequate protection to the cause of the farmers, agriculturists and cattle traders etc, representing all who are not in a position to approach the Supreme Court for protection of their rights guaranteed under the Constitution. A brief summary of the petition is given below: