Farmers’ outfit warns Maharashtra govt of cross-border agitation

Activists shout anti-government slogans during a nationwide call for a four-hour train blockade outside Dadar railway station in February this year against the new agricultural laws. File pic

Stating that the state government was in a "dubious rush" to implement the controversial agricultural laws passed by the central government, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordinating Committee (AIKSCC) warned the Maha Vikas Aghadi government that if the "anti-farmer haste" was not immediately stopped, they would be forced to launch a cross-border agitation on the lines of what was happening in Delhi. "The state government introduced three bills in the Assembly session to implement these laws in Maharashtra by making drastic changes in the ones introduced by the Centre," said the AIKSCC in a press release undersigned by leaders Ashok Dhawale, Raju Shetty, Medha Patkar, Ajit Navale and others.

"The central government has enacted three agricultural laws with the main objective of giving the entire agricultural sector to the corporates so that they can make profit out of it. A few minor changes to the Centre's laws will not make them sacred. The purpose behind the enactment of laws and their anti-farmer nature will not change. These laws will not only put the farmers in crisis but will also affect food security. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the All India Farmers' Struggle Coordinating Committee have taken this into account and strongly refused to accept these laws by amending the clauses. The agitators are adamant that there should be no change in the clauses and that the laws should be completely repealed."

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The AIKSCC pointed out that for the last seven months, protesting farmers have been blocking Delhi's borders, causing an unprecedented setback for the central government. "As a solution to the agitation in Delhi, the authorities concerned are trying to enforce the laws through state governments with some minor changes," said AIKSCC, adding, "These forces have chosen Maharashtra for their subversive endeavors. If this experiment is successful in Maharashtra, these forces and the central government are determined to achieve the original objective by repeating the same in other states. The state government should not cooperate with the Centre and the anti-farmer forces. Bills tabled in the Legislative Assembly should be withdrawn. The Kisan Sangharsh Samiti is appealing to the state government to repeal the controversial agricultural laws." AIKSCC concluded by saying that if the state government continued to cooperate with the central government against the farmers' agitation, then they would intensify the same.