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Himachal: Farmers march to Raj Bhawan over unfulfilled demands
Also demanded sacking of Union minister of state Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son was accused of running over protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri, and withdrawal of ‘false’ cases registered against farmers
Hundreds of farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Saturday marched to the Himachal Pradesh Raj Bhawan in Shimla seeking a law on minimum support prices (MSP) and other promises which they said were not fulfilled by the central government.
The protest march was led by Himachal Kisan Sabha president Kuldeep Singh Tanwar and joined by CPI(M) state general secretary Onkar Shad, Theog MLA Rakesh Singha and former Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan.
A delegation of the SKM later submitted a memorandum to the governor and also sought compensation and jobs for the families of farmers killed during their year-long protest.
They also demanded sacking of Union minister of state Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son was accused of running over protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri, and withdrawal of ‘false’ cases registered against farmers.
Their other demands included implementation of the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission, withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill, allocation of land at Singhu border for setting up a memorial for the farmers who died during the protest.
The SKM also raised the demands of Himachal farmers, including restoration of subsidy on fertilisers, pesticides and farm tools, abolition of GST on packaging material of apples, permanent solution to wild animal and stray cattle menace, MSP on all fruits and vegetables produced in the state and fulfilment of the demands of people whose land has been acquired for various projects.
Earlier, the farmers had held an open meeting at the gate of the Raj Bhawan. Himachal Kisan Sabha chief Tanwar accused the Centre of betraying the farmers by not fulfilling the promises made during their last year’s protest in Delhi.
He said, “If the central government has a misconception that the farmers will remain silent, it’s a mistake as they know how to fight for their demands.”
Calling upon the farmers to put up a united front, Tanwar said it was warning to the central government that if it steps back on its promises, the farmers will take the agitation route.
“The farmers have not ended their movement, but just postponed it. If the government wants to avoid trouble, then it should fulfil the demands of the farmers soon,” he added.
Theog MLA Singha blamed the ‘neoliberal policies’ for the agrarian crisis. He said it was due to these policies that the farmers of the country were suffering.
