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Retired bureaucrats, intellectuals to take part in farmers’ stir
Retired punjab IPS, IAS and army officers said effective steps needed to be taken to safeguard farm incomes, protect the environment for future generations and make country self-sufficient in crops
Retired Punjab IAS, IPS and army officers and intellectuals on Friday announced to join the “Kisan Sansad” for a day to express solidarity with the farmers agitating for their fundamental rights in a peaceful and democratic manner.
In a statement after conducting the meeting in Chandigarh under the banner of Kirti Kisan Forum (KKF), SS Boparai, former secretary, government of India, said that the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has intimated that it will soon inform the KKF about the modalities to raise the issues concerning the farming community.
Advocate JS Toor presented the members with his book against the newly introduced agricultural laws highlighting various legal infirmities in the legislation.
RI Singh said succeeding generations of farmers would face an existential crisis, which is why the farmers have explained to the Union agriculture minister and his team many times that these laws have to be repealed.
MS Chahal, former chairman of the Punjab and Sind Bank, and Kulbir Singh Sidhu highlighted the crisis facing the farming community. They said effective steps need to be taken to safeguard farm incomes and also protect the environment for the future generations.
DS Bains said that ensuring procurement at the MSP on all 23 crops would ensure that farmers move away from production of cereals (which the nation has in plenty now) towards making the country self-sufficient in pulses and oil seeds.
Brig Harwant Singh underlined the intimate connection of the farm and armed forces. He said that just as farmers joined the defence forces in their youth, the seasoned war veterans came back to their farms post retirement.
GPS Sahi expressed surprise that the central ministers were time and again denigrating the farmers who had made the nation self-sufficient in food. Brig Indermohan Singh, Colonel Gill and Colonel Guron emphasised that the farmers must take the political plunge and work for their cause in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab elections.
Gurbir Sandhu, ace shooter and former Olympian, said the book against the black agricultural laws must be translated into English and distributed to MPs and chief ministers. JR Kundal expressed surprise that none could come forward for an intellectual debate. Over 35 members of the KKF attended the meeting.
