Without any word from the Centre, protesting farmers along the Punjab-Haryana border are trying to march all the way to Delhi to demand a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP). The Haryana police fired tear gas on Sunday to prevent farmers united under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and United Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) from crossing Haryana and marching towards Delhi.
In an interview, KMM’s 49-year-old convener Sarwan Singh Pandher talks about police action, the importance of MSP, and why the government should listen to farmers, among other issues. KMM is the umbrella organization of 101 farmer unions.
fractions:
* What are the main issues of the movement at Shambhu and Khanauri crossings?
MSP for all crops is a key demand as it will prevent exploitation of farmers who go to the market to sell their produce. Center has announced MSP for 22 crops but they need to ask themselves if they are giving this for the entire stock.
In Punjab and Haryana, they claim that most farmers grow wheat and paddy, which the Center buys at MSP. But they keep talking about diversification. How can farmers diversify if there is no legal guarantee on MSP for other crops?
For the first time, the farmers, who were facing problems in purchasing paddy and late harvesting, had to sell their crops by reducing the price from 200 to 300 rupees per quintal. This is sending a message that even MSP at 100% of paddy production may not be possible in future.
Look at the fate of cotton farmers. The area under cultivation fell to an all-time low of 90,000 hectares in Punjab as the crop was repeatedly hit by pests while the Cotton Corporation of India bought only a fraction of the produce at MSP.
* Recently, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar extended support to farmers and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also spoke about MSP in Parliament…
We are grateful to Vice President Dhankhar for speaking in our support and understanding our plight. On behalf of KMM and United Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), we wrote to him to express our gratitude. We have also sent him a list of demands and asked him to convey them to the central government to hear us.
Chauhan said in the Rajya Sabha that the Center will purchase all crops at MSP. This proves that they have not yet worked. That is why we are protesting. They need to take us seriously now.
* Aren’t farmers risking their lives facing tear gas and water cannons? In February, one farmer lost his life and some lost their sight.
The gathering in February was large. This time only a dedicated group of farmers are heading towards the border on foot. They are disciplined and unarmed and they want to reach Delhi because the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) doesn’t seem concerned.
When the Haryana police used force, they were exposed in February as they said they would not allow tractors but would allow us to walk. Now, they don’t allow us to walk. Are we not citizens of India who can go to Delhi?
* How many meetings did you have with the central ministers?
We had four meetings in Chandigarh on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 with the Union Ministers in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann but then we did not hear from them.
On February 18, the Center proposed to buy five crops – maize, urad, lentil, arhar and cotton – at MSP for five years but our fight is for a legal guarantee on MSP for all crops. So we rejected that offer. We are open to talks but the Center should also take a step forward. We wonder why the Prime Minister cannot talk directly to the farmers.
* What is the update of Khanuri Naka?
Our senior leader Jagjit Singh Dallewalji, coordinator of SKM (Non-Political), has started his indefinite fast, which entered the 13th day on Sunday.
The Punjab Police removed him between the midnights of November 25 and 26 and forcibly admitted him to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana. But he started a fast at the hospital and was discharged on November 30. Since then he has been on the limit and has lost 9 kg.
* What does the Punjab government say?
The Punjab government seems to have joined hands with the Centre. First they forcibly admitted Dallewal and now they are allowing the Haryana government to erect barricades in Punjab. They also sent prohibitory orders issued by the Ambala district administration to several farmers’ union leaders.