PM Modi behaving like party leader, says AIKSCC

Attacking the Agriculture Ministers’ open letter to farmers, the AIKSCC has said the letter is full of references to the Congress, AAP, Akalis and his understanding of history, but that are not the issues which farmers are protesting on.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he had reduced himself to a party leader undermining his role as a responsible executive head of the country who was expected to solve farmers’ problems.

“PM should know that paddy is selling at Rs 900 per quintal though the MSP is Rs 1,870 per quintal,” the AIKSCC said in a statement while adding that the Centre was trying to discredit them by saying that their movement is politically motivated.

Attacking the Agriculture Ministers’ open letter to farmers, the AIKSCC has said the letter is full of references to the Congress, AAP, Akalis and his understanding of history, but that are not the issues which farmers are protesting on.

He has made fictitious claims that farmers will not lose their land, which is contradicted by the Contract Act 2020, which provides for farmer land to be mortgaged under Section 9 and for recovery of dues from the farmer under Section 14.7 as arrears of land revenue for advances taken from the company under Section 14.2 of the Acts, it added.

AIKSCC plans to issue an open reply to the Agriculture Minister’s letter on Saturday.

“Ministers assurances on MSP and government procurement fall flat on the face with Niti Aayog experts openly claiming that the government has excessive food stocks with no place to store and no money to buy and it is outrightly dismissing government procurement as a legal requirement,” said the AIKSCC.

On the other assertions on rights of farmers under the Contract Act and timely payment, the Acts say that crop will be taken on a receipt and payment made after 3 days or after receiving payment from the person who it is further sold to.

AIKSCC said that is appealing to the government no to spread falsehoods. The farm body also strongly criticised the UP government for imposing a bond on 6 farmer leaders for speaking the truth and inspiring the farmers to struggle. “While the PM refuses to listen to the farmers, Yogi is imposing a bond of Rs 50 lakhs,” the Committee said.

AIKSCC units are preparing now for the Shraddhanjali Diwas on December 20 to pay homage to all those farmers who lost their lives during the protest.

The AIKSCC had earlier argued that the Contract Farming Bill will introduce multiple middlemen in the new system.

In Punjab, arhtiyas (commission agents) acts as intermediaries between the government and farmers or private players and farmers, for purchase of different commodities.

AIKSCC had argued that a section of the law has not defined the third party and they can be any persons/intermediaries.and in such situation we note the role for multiple intermediaries, commercial agents, arhatiyas and village touts who will act as intermediaries now.

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