Dear Friends,
This is a very important news (appended BELOW) on the sorry state of farmers. We in the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj (Indian Farmers' Organisation) deeply regret the undue harassment meted out the ederly farmer leader, Mr. Mahendra Singh Tikait at his old age by the Uttar Pradesh state government
The UP state chief minister, Mayawati should immediately stop all harassments and aplogise to Mr Tikait. Mr Tikait is a senior farmer leader fighting for the cause of poor and marginal farmers. His contributions should be respected.
Bharatiya Krishak Samaj is slated to launch a nationwide campaign against anti-farmer policies of the government in April. We would campaign against setting up of SEZs by grabbing farmlands, opening up of retail chains, liberalisation of agriculture imports. We would demand a nationwide ban on GM crops and call for raising farmers' income.
tks & rgds
Dr KRISHAN BIR CHAUDHARY - krishanbirchoudhary@gmail.com
President
Bharatiya Krishak Samaj (Indian Farmers' Organisation)
New Delhi, INDIA
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Farmers say no to SEZs, GM crops
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , March 31, 2008 at 1921 hrs IST
Posted online: Monday , March 31, 2008 at 1921 hrs IST
New Delhi, March 31: Indian farmers supported by their brethren in other countries have called for agrarian reforms for the benefit of small and marginal landholders. They said that farmlands should not be confiscated for setting up of special economic zones (SEZs) or for industrial activity. They called for stopping of harassment of the senior farmer leader, Mahendra Singh Tikait.
The resolutions passed by the farmers conclave hosted jointly by the Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers' Movement and La Via Campesina in Delhi on Monday urged the government to stop its anti-farmer activities.
"Small and marginal farmers and the rural landless are facing harsh living conditions all over the world. Same is the case in India. Neoliberal corporate globalization driven by WTO has forced countries to open up their domestic Markets for imports. As a result, farmers are losing their livelihood and even their lives, " the resolution said.
The farmer leaders alleged that more than 1,50,000 peasants have committed suicide in India since the government embarked on the path of neo-liberalisation. The policies of the Indian government was to reduce the number of farmers, they said.
The resolutions also called for a moratorium on GM crops and increasing domestic support to farmers. "The government instead of supporting the farmers directly are pampering the corporates in agri-business," the farmer leaders said.
A special resolution expressed concerns over the undue harassment of the senior farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait by the UP government and urged the Union government to intervene in the matter. The farmers have decided to meet the prime minister, Manmohan Singh in this connection. Among the farmer leaders who participated in the conclave included Yudhvir Singh, Ajmer Singh (president BKU-Punjab) Sellamuttu (president, Tamilnadu Farmers' Organisation), Chukki Nanjundasswamy, Venkata Reddy (vice president, KRRS and Green Brigade, Karnataka) and Ravi of Coconut Farmers' Association, Kerala. From La Via Campesina , Henri Saragih, Namesia Achacollo, Alberto Gomez and Lucia Marina participated in the conclave.
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