Farmers, labourers, employees protest in Karnal, Jhajjar, Sirsa
Karnal: Extending their support to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), scores of farmers along with labourers and employees protested in the city to press the demand of a legal guarantee for MSP. The farmers’ unions started their march to Delhi on this date in 2020.
Farmers assembled at Mahatama Gandhi Chowk and staged a dharna for sometime. Later, they took out a march towards the Mini-Secretariat, where they handed over a memorandum to an official for the President of India.
Rattan Mann, president, BKU, said four years ago, farmers started a march towards Delhi against the three farm laws. After a year-long protest, the Union Government rolled back the three farm laws. The farmers have been demanding a law ensuring guarantee of MSP, but the Union Government has failed to do so. “We have protested to press our demands,” said Mann.
He also raised the issue of registration of FIRs and making red entries in the record of farmers for burning stubble and demanded the government to cancel the FIRs as well as the red entries. He also stressed on providing more stubble management equipment for the farmers.
Meanwhile, various labour and employees associations extended their support to the farmers and demanded the government to fulfil the demands. They also highlighted the demands of labourers and employees, including minimum monthly wages of Rs 26,000 for each worker, including those in organised, unorganised, scheme based and agricultural sectors, along with social security. They demanded that the government should terminate the land acquisition policy to safeguard the livelihoods of farmers, increasing the number of workdays under MGNREGA to 200 per year, with a daily wage of Rs 600, restoration of old pension scheme for employees, providing sufficient supply of DAP and urea fertilisers to meet the farmers’ needs promptly.
Jhajjar: Following the call given by a joint committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and National Trade Unions, office bearers of various farm and labourers organisations on Tuesday organised a protest demonstration here and submitted a memorandum to the President through district administration authorities. Jai Karan Mandothi, organising secretary, All India Kisan Khet Mazdur Sangthan, said they had been demanding legal guarantee of MSP for all crops as C2+50% formula, waiving of farmers’ loan, pension of ₹10,000 per month for the farmers after 60 years, withdrawal of the Electricity Bill Amendment 2023 and installation of prepaid smart meters, removal of the contractual system for jobs and ensuring minimum salary of Rs 26,000 to to all laborers etc.
Sirsa: On Tuesday, several farmer unions, labour organisations and employee groups staged a protest at the Mini-Secretariat to mark the fourth anniversary of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha's March to Delhi. The demonstration was organised to raise concerns over the government's failure to fulfil the promises made during previous movements and to demand urgent solutions to the ongoing issues faced by farmers and workers. Dr Sukhdev Jammu, a key speaker, criticised the Central Government for claiming that only farmers in Haryana and Punjab were asking for minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, while the farmers in other parts of the country have remained silent. He warned that the injustice would no longer be tolerated and protests would soon take place across district headquarters nationwide. Dr Jammu stressed that the government must address the long-pending demands of farmers, or they would be forced to resume protests after November 26.
