Cong to Galvanize Smaller Parties, Farmers Through Mahapanchayats in MP Against Farm Laws

Months after farmers from several states are protesting against farm laws at Delhi borders, Congress has started efforts to fuel farm unrest in Madhya Pradesh. Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh on Friday spoke to the media at his Bhopal residence, announcing series of Kisan Mahapanchayats in Madhya Pradesh in co-operation with smaller parties and farmer-labourers’ organisations.

“There is no solution in sight to the stalemate due to Centre’s high handedness and over 200 agitating farmers have lost their lives,” said Digvijaya Singh. He referred to farm laws as ‘drafts prepared by some corporates’ which will give them entry into 18-20 lakh crore agri-trade markets.

Singh added that state units of Samajwadi Party, BSP, JD (U), CPI, NCP, Shiv Sena, AAP and others have extended support to the proposed campaign besides several farm bodies and labourers’ unions.

The first kisan mahapanchayat on March 4 will be organised at Delanpur, around 100km from district headquarters in Ratlam which had saw a major farm agitation in year 2017. Similar events will be organised in Dhar, Ujjain, Sehore and Shajapur.

According to the Congress, it will be purely an apolitical campaign where there will be no pomp and show in mahapanchayats and those speaking will be standing on a makeshift dias made out of tractor –trollies and everyone else will sit on the ground and farmers will be asked to bring their own food to the venue.

There won’t be any organisation flag at the venue except for tricolour, added the former Chief Minister saying the aim of the campaign is to make farmers aware about perils of three farm laws and cautioning them about safety of their future.

The Rajya Sabha MP slammed charges that Congress was behind farm unrest in Delhi saying if it was an event organised by the Congress party, how come the Akali Dal, an old ally of BJP was part of the same.

Kedar Sirohi, working president of MP Kisan Congress said that participation of MP farmers have been low in the farm unrest so these mahapanchayats will be oraganised to enhance their participation. We have invited farmers’ leaders who are leading the charge in the national capital, added Sirohi.

Digvijaya Singh claimed that he had a conversation with noted journalist P Sainath who had a deep insight into the farming sector and claimed that he has formed set of recommendations for agriculture sector and these will be implemented in Congress ruled states including Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. I have already sent these recommendations to national president Sonia Gandhi, said Singh.