TCN News
The 13-day-long historical Yatra that began from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh reached Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to overwhelming reception of farmers from across the country. The Kisan Mukti Yatra, starting from July 6, covered six states. With this begins the second phase of the Yatra that has received support of more than 150 farmers’ organisations.
Thousands of farmers from all over the country poured in at the Kisan Mukti Sansad at Jantar Mantar to support the fight for their rights. The farmers have made two specific demands: Farming be made remunerative and farmers be made debt free.
Farmers of Tamil Nadu, who have relaunched their agitation, also joined the Kisan Mukti Sansad under the leadership of Aiyyakannu. On the other hand, the children of farmers from Maharashtra who have committed suicide performed a skit at the Kisan Mukti Sansad to bring attention to their plight.
Ashok Patil, one of such children present at Jantar Mantar said, “I am suffering because my father committed suicide. But I want to tell all the farmers of this country that suicide is not an option, the only option is that we have to fight for our rights.”
Responding to the appeal made by leaders of All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee to the Members of Parliament to join the farmers at Jantar Mantar, various Members of the Parliament joined the Sansad and offered their support to the farmers. MPs Raju Shetty, Tapan Kumar Sen, Dr. Dharamvir Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Yadav, Ali Anwar, Mohammad Saleem, Jitendra Choudhary, Arvind Sawant, BR Patil, Shailendra Kumar, Mohammad Murtaza, Shankar Dutta, Shri Moti, and Nagendra Pradhan marked their presence at the Kisan Mukti Sansad and offered their support to the famers in their fight for their rights.
Speaking at the event, MP Raju Shetty said, “I campaigned for Narendra Modi, I supported him, only because he promised to waive off loans of farmers but later his government in the Supreme Court gave an affidavit claiming that waiving off farm loans is not possible. I want to ask him that if this was not possible, why did he make this promise to me and in his election manifesto, to the people of this country.”
Sitaram Yechury also marked his presence at the Kisan Mukti Sansad. Speaking at Jantar Mantar, Sitaram Yechury said, “Along with all of you, I take the pledge to fight for the rights of farmers and I promise you that I am going to take this fight to the Parliament.”
Moderator of Sansad Dr. Sunilam demanded that action must be taken against the police officers who shot dead 6 farmers in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh.
Sharad Yadav, who also joined the farmers at Kisan Mukti Sansad said, “This is not just a fight of the farmers, this fight is of the whole country. And while you are fighting this fight here outside the parliament, I assure you that I will take this fight inside the parliament.” He also promised to rally the whole Opposition to support the farmers in their fight.
Prashant Bhushan addressing the Kisan Mukti Sansad said, “The government is deliberately designing policies that are anti-farmer and pro-corporates. The govt is supporting products such as GM Mustard which are deigned to benefit the corporates and destroy the farmers as well their farming”
Yogendra Yadav said in his address, “It is nit the farmers that are under debt but the whole country is under the debt of the farmers. The farmers have been giving a subsidy of Rs. 1,50,000 crores to this country and this has been happening since decades so we are not asking for a debt waiver but freedom from debt. It is not the farmer that is indebted to this country but the country that is indebted to the farmer”.
V M Singh, Convenor of AIKSCC, while addressing the Kisan Mukti Sansad said, “This government is not going to hand over your rights to you, we will have to fight for our rights and in this fight we all will have to be together.” He also added that this is not just a fight of farmers but of all citizens of tis country. “Why should a farmer, despite feeding the whole country, be unable to feed his own family,” Singh asked.
The leaders of Kisan Mukti Sansad said that the Sansad will continue its proceedings tomorrow as well and the agitation will continue till the demands of farmers are not met.
Among other leaders who addressed Kisan Mukti Yatra included Chandrasekhar, Sundar Vimlnathan, PS Sharda, Lingaraja, Prem Singh Gehlot, Purushottam Sharma, Ishwaree Prasad Kushwaha, Upendra Singh, Hemendra Chaudhary, Bhagat Singh Verma, Ramvir Singh, Veerpal Singh, Zorwar Singh, Bramhapal Singh, Chaman Singh, Ravi Kant Tupakr, Dasrath Sawant, Professor Prakash Pofle, Deepak Pagar, Bapusaheb Karande, Sagar Shambhushete, Jagdish Inamdar, Ruldu Singh and Gurnam Singh.
