We Will Bring One Crore Protestors To Delhi In August: Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh

It is yet another wave of agrarian protests in New Delhi, this time it was not the farmers group from Tamil Nadu but in a strange state of affairs it is a new but strong group of farmers’ from Madhya Pradesh, that had shown ire in the National Capital.

It was Rashtriya Kisan Majdoor Sangh (RKMS) which had protested again for demands like full loan waiver of farmers and they have also demanded for the right to settle correct minimum support price for the agriculture produce by government. It was again a huge gathering of around 4000 farmers’ in New Delhi’s protest hub Jantar Mantar.

Earlier to this RKMS had also challenged various statements by Niti Aayog regarding agrarian economy and showed its disagreement with alleged vision of Niti Aayog. Hundreds of RKMS protestors tried to enter Niti Aayog premises but not allowed. RKMS protestors had been stopped by police, 100’s of meter away from Niti Aayog.

BW Businessworld had spoken with their state in-charge Sunil Gaur on the issues RKMS is raising.

Was it a successful protest at Niti Aayog?

Yes we were 4000 or more protestors gathered there and it was a successful protest.

What are your demands this time, are they new or you are asking for same old demands?

No, our demands are not new. We are still asking for minimum support prices of agriculture commodities, as a profit over farmers’ investment, and loan waiver is another demand.

Have you ever thought of the pressure, an exchequer will have on its pocket due to loan waivers?

Yes, but we can’t help it. Government will listen to demands only when they are pressurised by such factors, we have also started our indefinite strike at Jantar Mantar.

Government had relaxed laws for imports of pulses, what is your organisation’s view on that?

In case of Madhya Pradesh we had pushed government to buy pulses from local farmers.

Your chief minister had committed to buy every single onion from farmers’, what will happen to heaps of onions in Mandi?

It was government’s duty to think of working on processing units of onions, they can be dried and processed, it is heavily consumed vegetable. Had government thought of these aspects prior to protests, situation would have been different. Last year government had purchased onions, spoiled them and wasted all of it, they had no lessons from last year. Farmer usually put all the effort, works day and night and even if his produce is wasted, it’s the money of farmer not of government.

Whom do you want to blame? The politicians or bureaucrats?

We will distribute equal responsibility on both of them, corruption may not be visible but it is deep rooted in the system. We have a view that commission is still popular among politicians and bureaucrats. All the policies are defined with the commission involved in it.

Some commodities for instance, tomato had its rate which is disturbing like APMC’s have its trade in some Rs 40 per kilo gram but it is selling at Rs 90 per kilo gram on retails, where do you think the money has gone?

That is what I am saying, ultimately it is the farmer who is suffering. Farmer can’t set the price of his own produce, and then the mediators become a thread of irresponsibility.

What will be your next move?

We wanted to speak with government, but government is not ready to talk to us, I am quoting

“We will bring one crore farmers’ on August 7, then we will see how government denies speaking with us.”