Hundreds of Farmers Protest outside Rajbhavan
On the call of national wide Protest by the Sanyukat Kissan Munch hundreds of farmers and Apple growers stage protest outside the Rajbhavan at Shimla on Saturday. Under the banner of Himachal Kissan Sabha and Sanyukat Kissan Morcha hundreds of farmers marched to Raj Bhavan under the banner and latter submitted an eight-point charter of farmers demands to President through the Governor.
Memorandum made allegations of cheating on the central government with the farmers. State president of Himachal Kisan Sabha Dr. Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, general secretary Dr. Onkar Shad, MLA Rakesh Singha and Sanjay Chauhan led the farmers’ procession . Farmers are demanding minimum support price, compensation and employement to the family members of deceased farmers who died during the farmer’s movement, sacking and arrest of the Union Minister of State for Home, accused of crushing farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, from the cabinet They were demanding withdrawal of cases registered against protesting farmer leaders and protesters. Samyukta Kisan Morcha also put forward the problems of Himachal, including restoration of subsidy on agriculture, abolition of GST on packaging material of apples, getting rid of wild animals, stray animals, all fruits and vegetables produced in the state, Demand to give support price on food grains and meeting the demands of land acquisition affected forum etc. were included.CPI(M)MLA Rakesh Singha, State President of Kisansabha Dr. Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, Co-Convenor of SKM Sanjay Chauhan and President of Apple Producers Association Sohan Thakur address the protest meeting. State President of the Kisan Sabha said that the central government ended the farmers’ movement by cheating and lying. The promises made by the government to the farmers while ending the agitation, now the central government is not taking any action on them.The farmer has learned to fight unitedly and will agitate again with manifold strength. Singha blamed the neoliberal policies for the agrarian crisis. He said that due to these policies the condition of the farmers is worse. He called upon the farmers to fight unitedly against these policies.
