Why are farmers protesting at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan?

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Dec
20:
Farmers
are
protesting
in
the
National
Capital
yet
again.
The
‘Kisan
Garjana’ rally
at
Ramlila
Maidan
was
organised
by
the
Bhartiya
Kisan
Sangh
(BKS),
an
affiliate
of
Rashtriya
Swayamsevak
Sangh
(RSS),
from
11
am
to
6
pm
on
Dec
19
to
seek
various
relief
measures
to
improve
the
condition
of
farmers.

Thousands
of
farmers
held
a
rally
to
press
for
a
rollback
of
GST
on
agricultural
goods
and
other
demands
and
threatened
to
intensify
their
protest
if
these
are
not
met.

Braving
cold
conditions,
the
farmers
travelled
to
Delhi
from
several
states,
including
Punjab,
Maharashtra,
Telangana,
Andhra
Pradesh,
Rajasthan,
Madhya
Pradesh
and
West
Bengal,
on
tractors,
motorcycles
and
private
buses
and
participated
in
the
‘Kisan
Garjana’
rally
at
the
Ramleela
Ground
to
seek
relief
measures,
the
organisers
said.

The
protesters
were
demanding

• a
  rollback
  of
  GST
  on
  farming
  activities,
• an
  increase
  in
  the
  income
  support
  provided
  under
  the
  PM-Kisan
  scheme,
• revocation
  of
  the
  permission
  for
  commercial
  production
  of
  genetically
  modified
  (GM)
  crops
  and
• remunerative
  prices
  for
  their
  produce
  based
  on
  the
  input
  cost

Launched
in
December
2018,
income
support
of
Rs
6,000
per
year
in
three
equal
installments
is
provided
to
all
land-holding
farmer
families
under
the
PM-Kisan
scheme.

The
BKS,
in
a
statement,
said
“state
and
central
governments
will
face
trouble
if
they
do
not
heed
the
farmers’ demand
in
time”.

National
General
Secretary,
BKS,
Mohini
Mohan
said:
“The
promises
made
by
the
prime
minister
regarding
the
rights
of
farmers
have
proved
to
be
empty.”
“The
government
promised
an
increase
in
the
income
of
farmers,
but
this
could
not
happen.
Farmers
are
not
beggars,
they
have
the
right
to
remunerative
prices
for
their
crops,”
he
said.
Mohan
said
the
world’s
largest
farmers’
organisation
“will
roar
and
be
vocal”
if
the
government
does
not
wake
up
in
time.

BJP
demands
Congress
chief
Mallikarjun
Kharge’s
apology
for
‘dog’
remark,
huge
protest
in
parliament

Narendra
Patidar
from
Madhya
Pradesh’s
Indore
said
GST
on
farm
machinery
and
pesticides
should
be
removed.
“With
the
rising
input
cost
and
inflation,
we
don’t
make
any
profit.
The
government
should
pay
attention
to
our
problems.
GST
shouldn’t
be
imposed
on
dairy
farming
either.How
can
someone
run
a
family
on
Rs
6,000
or
Rs
12,000
in
the
current
situation?” he
said.

The
farmers
told
PTI
they
will
intensify
the
protest
if
the
government
does
not
meet
their
demands
within
three
months.
“GST
on
farm
machinery,
pesticides
and
fertilisers
should
be
removed.
They
have
even
imposed
a
five
percent
tax
on
dairy
farming
for
no
reason.
The
Rs
6,000
under
Kisan
Samman
Nidhi
are
nothing
but
disrespect
to
farmers.
It
should
be
at
least
Rs
15,000,”
said
Dilip
Kumar,
another
farmer
from
Madhya
Pradesh.

Pramod
from
Maharashtra’s
Raigad
said
the
government
imposes
GST
on
farmers
and
provides
subsidies
to
companies.
“They
even
charge
GST
on
seeds.
Something
should
be
done
about
it.
The
pension
they
provide
is
a
joke.
How
can
one
sustain
their
family
with
just
Rs
6,000?
(Union
Agriculture
Minister)
Narendra
Tomar
said
it
will
be
increased
to
Rs
12,000,
even
that
is
not
enough,”
he
said.

Surendra
Singh
Punjab’s
Firozpur
said
the
government
failed
to
provide
the
last
two
installments
under
the
PM-Kisan
scheme.
“Farmers
are
also
skilled
labourers
that
much
respect
should
at
least
be
given
to
us,”
he
said.

The
protesters
cited
studies
to
say
GM
seeds
are
“harmful”
to
people
and
future
generations
and
farmers
won’t
use
them
until
the
government
provides
them
with
reliable
research
data.

In
October,
the
government
cleared
the
‘environmental
release’
of
a
genetically
modified
(GM)
variety
of
mustard.
The
‘environmental
release’,
involving
seed
production
and
field
testing,
is
the
final
step
before
the
commercial
production
of
the
crop
by
farmers.

No
new
taxation,
no
tax
increase:
Nirmala
Sitharaman
after
GST
Council
meeting

“Until
and
unless
we
are
provided
research
details
until
we
get
some
proof
that
it
is
reliable,
we
are
not
ready
to
use
GM
seeds
at
all.
Farmers
have
been
opposing
GM
crops
for
a
very
long
time
but
the
government
doesn’t
pay
attention
to
us,”
said
Ajay
Bondre
who
had
come
from
Nagpur.

Kanchan
Roy
who
came
from
West
Bengal’s
Uttar
Dinajpur
said
many
have
quit
farming
because
they
cannot
bear
the
rising
input
costs.

“Many
people
have
left
farming
and
migrated
from
West
Bengal
to
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
and
Madhya
Pradesh.
Does
the
government
realise
the
inflation
situation
across
the
country
and
they
want
us
to
settle
with
Rs
6,000
or
Rs
12,000,” she
said.

Kishor
Patel
from
Gujarat’s
Aravalli
said
some
of
the
demands
have
been
met.
“But
the
primary
demands
have
not
been
considered
despite
assurances
before
the
state
elections.”
The
BKS
said
it
ran
a
public
awareness
programme
in
over
60,000
villages
in
560
districts
across
the
country
for
four
months
before
coming
to
Delhi.

About
20,000
padayatras,
13,000
cycle
tours
and
18,000
meetings
were
organised
in
Telangana
and
Madhya
Pradesh
alone,
they
said.