PUCL urges PM to urgently accept protesting farmers' demands, ending 10 month impasse at Punjab border

Counterview Desk

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has appealed to the Prime Minister to urgently accept the demands of the protesting farmers relating to legal guarantee for MSP, complete waiver of loans.

Asking him to ensure that there is negotiation which brings an end to the 28 days of the fast unto death of 73-year-old Farmers leader, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, in a statement it insists on ending the impasse of the last 10 months on Shambhu and Khanauri border.

Text:

The PUCL is shocked at the heartless manner in which the Government of India has refused to respond to the 10-month long protest of the farmers who have been sitting on the Khanauri and Shambhu borders of Punjab. What is worse is the complete disregard and callous attitude towards the fast unto death of 73-year-old Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the leader of the SKM (Non-Political), who according to the doctors on the 27th day of the fast (22nd Dec, 2024), is very critical and faces a very high risk of cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure if the fast is not withdrawn. Yet no representatives of the Government have been sent to negotiate or listen to either Jagjit Singh Dallewal or the group of protesting farmers who have been sitting at the borders.

A democracy is about listening to the voice of the people and when farmers are expressing their pain, anger and dissent, it is imperative that a government listen to them. Ignoring the protests sends out a message that the government is not response to the concerns of the farmers, who are the lifeblood of the nation. This authoritarian path of ignoring and crushing dissent taken by the Union of India does no justice to the image of India being the world’s largest democracy.

It may be recalled that the year-long farmers protest (November, 2021 to December, 2022) on Delhi borders, was lifted by farmers groups with the Government of India promising to ensure legal guarantee for the MSP for all crops amongst other demands. When fourteen months had passed with no response, a section of the farmers were extremely agitated. It was only after much thought that, on 13th February, 2023, two platforms of Farmers with hundreds of unions and groups, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha decided to march in several thousands, to Delhi to make the Government of India accountable to the promises made to lakhs of protesting farmers at the Delhi border in 2022.

As expected, they were stopped at both the Punjab - Haryana border villages of Khanauri and Shambhu in Punjab. It may be recalled the farmers were fired on with bullets and pellets killing one person and injuring several. There was police torture of some of the young farmers who were then admitted to hospital ( link PUCL press note on famers protest).

In the very initial period, some ministers of the Union Government did come and talk to the farmers leaders, urging them to not march to Delhi. However, when the farmers did not withdraw their plans, the Government of India refused to even meet them and decided to ignore them.

Several efforts were made by the farmers, but the GOI refused to hear the farmers in the last 10 months. It was the Supreme court who intervened and set up a committee to examine the feasibility of the demands made to the Government of India. The GOI has refused to make the committee report public.

When there was a complete denial of response from the Government and repression by Haryana police, in letting the protesting farmers get to Delhi, Jagjit Singh Dalewal started a fast unto death from the 26th of November, as a last resort, with the objective of making their voice and demands heard. When even that was not responded to by the callous attitude of the Government of India, the farmers on the 6th, 8th and 14th of December, in groups of hundreds tried to get into Haryana and march to Delhi, unarmed on foot, leaving behind their tractors.

The Haryana police decided to stop the marchers by using sophisticated weapons, like tear gas shells which were dangerous and lethal. The farmers also carried out Rail Roko Andolan on the 18th of December, but the Government of India has refused to respond in any way, ignoring the protest and treating it like a law-and-order problem. Earlier this month, Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced that the farmers had given a call for 'Punjab bandh' on December 30.

We at PUCL believe that the Government ought to be urgently addressing the demands of the protesting farmers. We also demand that the Supreme Court report to be made public and urge the Government to engage in a dialogue with Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pander and other farmer leaders. A primary demand is the Legal Guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops. Additionally, farmers are calling for the withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022, opposing proposed electricity reforms and the ongoing installation of smart meters for agricultural connections. The farmers also demand a Comprehensive Debt Waiver, seeking the complete cancellation of outstanding loans. Another critical issue is the withdrawal of police cases linked to the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Protesters argue these cases are politically motivated and aim to suppress legitimate dissent. They also demand justice for the victims of the incident, including an impartial investigation and a fair trial for those accused. Further demands include reinstating the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and providing compensation to the families of farmers who lost their lives during the 2020-21 agitation.

The PUCL demands that these concerns be addressed as only if that is done that justice will be done to the farmers.

-- Kavita Srivastava (President), V. Suresh (General Secretary), PUCL

Comments

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar* Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chassé & Dr David Leffler* In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).

Govt of India asked to work for release of 217 Indian fishermen detained in Pakistan since 2021

By A Representative Members of the fishing communities from Gujarat and Diu, Union Territory, held a press conference in Ahmedabad, urging the Union Government to take proactive measures to secure the release of Indian fishermen currently detained in Pakistan. Presently, 217 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat and Diu, are held in Pakistan’s Malir Jail. Of these, 53 have been incarcerated since 2021 and 130 since 2022.

This book examines dialectics of complex caste and class relationship

By Harsh Thakor* In Caste and Revolution by N. Ravi, the author addresses questions raised by Dalit and Bahujan intellectuals inspired by revolutionary parties. These questions center on caste issues and seek to formulate a profound diagnosis to chart a path toward the annihilation of caste. The book explains how caste-based feudalism and comprador bureaucratic capitalism intertwine to perpetuate the caste system. It asserts that only the path of a New Democratic Revolution can eradicate caste. The book delves into the need for an equal position for oppressed castes in all layers of society to abolish caste discrimination and oppression. It offers an analytical diagnosis, a penetrating navigation, and a detailed account of the dialectics of caste and class across diverse spheres. Annihilation of Caste and the New Democratic Revolution A revolutionary party develops a perspective document on the caste question, integrating its understanding of caste and the program for caste annih...

34 Dalit families in IIT Kanpur without toilets in Open Defecation Free India

By Sandeep Pandey When Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur was set up in 1959, two villages were uprooted. The farmers were given meagre compensation for the standing crop. No compensation was given for the land to build this institute of national importance. Each family was promised a job but what was not told to them was that one would require specialised skills to get a job at IIT. Some members of these families were, of course, absorbed for menial work. Some washerfolk families were also invited from outside to live on campus to take care of the laundry needs of students, staff and faculty members. One of these men was cajoled by IIT authorities then to forego a regular employment at IIT and instead take up clothes washing work.

प्राकृतिक संसाधनों के दोहन करने की प्रतिस्पर्धा: बढ़ रही पर्यावरणीय और सामाजिक चुनौतियां

- राज कुमार सिन्हा प्राकृतिक संसाधनों और कॉमन्स, जैसे सामुदायिक भूमि, वन, चारागाह और जल निकाय स्थानीय समुदायों के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं जो इन संसाधनों पर निर्भर हैं और उनके सतत् उपयोग एवं संरक्षण के लिए पीढ़ियों से प्रयासरत हैं। कॉमन्स न केवल हमारी पारिस्थितिकी को संतुलित रखते हैं, बल्कि ग्रामीण आजीविका, जैव विविधता, और जलवायु अनुकूलन के लिए भी महत्वपूर्ण हैं। दुर्भाग्यवश, हर साल इन संसाधनों में 4% की कमी आ रही है, जिससे पर्यावरणीय और सामाजिक चुनौतियां बढ़ रही हैं। इन कॉमन्स के संरक्षण और पुनरुद्धार के लिए दीर्घकालीन योजना पर कार्य करने की आवश्यकता है। जिससे एक बेहतर, समान और टिकाऊ भविष्य का निर्माण हो सके।

Local businessman subjected to physical assault, verbal abuse: Demand for accountability, justice

By Kirity Roy* On October 9, 2024, a disturbing incident of harassment and abuse took place in the Swarupnagar Block of North 24 Parganas district, involving a local businessman, Hasanur Gazi, who was subjected to physical assault, verbal abuse, and religious discrimination by a Border Security Force (BSF) constable. The incident, which occurred at the Hakimpur Checkpost, has raised serious concerns about the safety and dignity of citizens living in border areas, especially those belonging to religious minorities.

બેટ દ્વારકામાં માત્ર મુસ્લિમ ઘરો અને ધાર્મિક સ્થળો પર બુલડોઝર કાર્યવાહી: તાત્કાલિક રોકવાની માંગ

- પ્રતિનિધિ દ્વારા બેટ દ્વારકામાં મુસ્લિમ સમુદાયના ઘરો અને ધાર્મિક સ્થળો પર તંત્ર દ્વારા થયેલી બુલડોઝર કાર્યવાહી સામે સામાજિક આગેવાનો અને નાગરિકોમાં ભારે વિરોધ જોવા મળી રહ્યો છે. સ્થાનિકોમાંથી કેટલાક દ્વારા ગુજરાતના મુખ્યમંત્રીને લેખિતમાં રજૂઆત કરવામાં આવી છે, જેમાં આ કાર્યવાહી તાત્કાલિક રોકવાની માંગ ઉઠાવવામાં આવી છે.

Search This Blog