GUWAHATI, June 21 � The Central Government under the stewardship of Narendra Modi has betrayed the farmers of the country to benefit the corporate sector and with the latest version of the Land Acquisition Ordinance, it has turned out to be the greatest enemy of the Indian farmers. This Government is comparable only with the colonial British Government, said the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) general secretary and ex-MP Hannan Molla.
Molla, who was addressing media persons at the Bhagawati Prasad Baruva Bhawan here on Saturday morning, said the AIKS has joined hands with five other farmers� organisations and 34 civil society organisations and launched a country-wide agitation on land rights.
Against the above ordinance, these organisations have also launched a signature campaign to collect five crore signatures. Between July 23 and 31, the public petitions would be submitted to the Centre through the BDOs by the member organisations of this joint action body, he informed.
Besides, he said the AIKS will mobilise the families of the farmers, who have committed suicide in front of the Parliament, in the first week of August next, said Molla.
He alleged that the rate of farmers� suicide has shot up by 26 per cent under the BJP-led NDA rule. In the past 14- 15, around 3, 19, 000 farmers have committed suicide because of the anti-farmer policies of the Governments and the situation has come to such a pass now that every half an hour, one Indian farmer commits suicide.
The budgetary allocations for the farming sector have become a pittance. The Modi Government has made an allocation of Rs 11,700 crore for this sector, making a mockery of the dreams of the Indian farmers for better days. Narendra Modi repeatedly said that in his nearly 499 election rallies in 2014 that his Government would go by the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Commission, which suggested that farmers should be provided a minimum support price that includes the cost of their production and an additional 50 per cent monetised value on it.
But now, the Modi Government has started describing all such utterances as election gimmicks. It is unfortunate that against a cost of Rs 1,500 for producing a quintal of paddy, a farmer is getting in India an amount of Rs 1,410. In fact, a farmer should get Rs 2,100 for each quintal of paddy he produces, said Molla. Cultivation of pulses is not encouraged by this Government, as, imports of dal involves a lot of commission for the bureaucrats and the politicians in power.
The Land Acquisition Ordinance of this Government has made the country�s 39 per cent of farmland vulnerable to acquisitions, being made to benefit the corporate houses, builders etc.
The AIKS will also take part in the September 2, 2015 Bharat bandh called by eight central trade unions to register their protest against the anti-labour policies of the Centre, he informed.