*All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha, AIKMS*
Press Release December 9, 2021
CEC, AIKMS hails the grand success of this historic farmers movement in which lacs of peasants had laid siege on highways leading into Delhi for the last one year and 14 days.
AIKMS congratulates the peasants and peasant organizations all over the country and calls upon them to celebrate this historic victory with mass gatherings.
SKM has decided to call off the present morchas which shall be vacated from Dec 11. SKM shall meet again on January 2022 in Delhi to review progress and plan ahead.
AIKMS extends comradely greetings to all democratic forces and mass organizations who lent valuable support during this struggle, IFTU and PMS in particular. It expresses its deep gratitude to all those who provided food, facilities and medical camps during the movement.
AIKMS pays homage to 5 martyrs of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers, martyrs of 26th January and Karnal incident, and more than 700 farmers who laid down their lives while being at the Delhi morchas.
Today, after receiving the letter of the Union Government in which it has clarified doubts raised by the SKM, the meeting decided to withdraw the current morchas around Delhi.
The resolution of issues is as follows:
- The 3 farm laws have been withdrawn.
- The govt shall set up a committee to address the demand in MSP* in which SKM representatives shall also be members. The mandate of the committee will be to ascertain how MSP can be assured to all farmers. The government has also assured that the government procurement of crops on MSP in states will not be decreased from what is being procured.
- The govt letter states that all cases registered during the duration of this movement in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Union Territories including Delhi and by central govt departments shall be withdrawn with immediate effect.
- The states shall provide compensation to families of all those who were martyred in this movement for which Haryana and UP have given their consent and Punjab has already made its declaration.
- The Electricity Bill shall be discussed in parliament only after discussing it with all stakeholders including the SKM.
- Criminal liability on farmers shall be removed from the provisions in sections 14 and 15 of the Act relating to stubble burning.
This movement has not only decisively pushed back this neo-liberal fascist offensive by corporate and MNCs on Indian agriculture and peasants, but it has also brought the issue of MSP on the national agenda for pro peasant reforms. The govt has accepted the concept of guaranteeing MSP to all farmers as the agenda of the committee. However, this is nowhere near our demand, which remains a) MSP for all crops for all farmers, b) MSP to be calculated transparently as per comprehensive cost at C2 and be declared at plus 50%, and c) a mechanism for government procurement from all farmers be established in order to guarantee this rate.
This victory has not only created conscious appreciation amongst the peasants all over India for the issue of MSP, but it has also generated wide sympathy and support amongst citizens of India for this demand. If the committee does not deliver, it is our task now to build a nationwide struggle on the issue, which should be as determined as the one we have just won.
We may highlight that this movement amongst its other achievements has pushed back the communal and fascist offensive of RSS led Modi government. Of particular importance in this have been the brave and determined fight against Corona lockdown 1 by Punjab, Corona lockdown 2 in Haryana, and the resistance to the offensive of RSS and police in Ghazipur on January 28th.
This movement has by uniting and rallying farmers and their organizations all over India, also created better conditions for a nationwide struggle on several problems of Indian peasants. It has reinforced the ground for struggles as opposed to electoral alternatives as being the only remedy. It has created a democratic space for democratic forces and people to raise their voices. It has effectively countered mischievous propaganda of RSS, Govt and Modi media against farmers, portraying them as anti-national.
This momentous victory should be celebrated. AIKMS calls upon all its units and peasants throughout the country to consolidate the gains, remain steadfast in unity and build mass movements of the peasantry on all their pending issues of MSP, debt waiver, protecting livelihood resources and others.
*Long Live Peasant Unity!*
Venkatramaiah, President
Dr. Ashish Mital, General Secretary
Note: *MSP is the minimum price a farmer should be paid for their food grains as guaranteed by the government. However, the big problem with the MSP has been that it was never backed by a parliamentary act and therefore, could not be legally enforced across India.
