Rajasthan farmers intensify agitation for loan waiver  – The Hindu

Farmers affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha, whose attempt to lay an indefinite siege to the Rajasthan Assembly was foiled here last week, have intensified their agitation for a blanket farm loan waiver. The Bharatiya Janata Party government had launched a crackdown on the farmer leaders and arrested scores of them to stop the entry of protesters in Jaipur.

The AIKS has decided to continue its protest meetings in the villages and announced that the farmers would not allow any Minister to enter the villages until the loan waiver issue was resolved. “The farmers will protest against any official or private visit of Ministers to the villages and block their way,” AIKS State Committee president Pema Ram said here on Thursday.

Promises

Mr. Ram, a former CPI(M) MLA, accused the BJP government of dishonesty in its budgetary announcement of one-time farm loan waiver of Rs. 50,000 each and failure to fulfil its promises made to farmers after their 13-day-long agitation in the Shekhawati region in September last year.

The AIKS would reach out to farmers in different regions and hold gram sabhas in villages during the next two months to generate public opinion against the State government’s “anti-farmer character”, said Mr. Ram. If the demands are not met, the farmers will lay siege to all District Collectorates across the State on May 1.

Mr. Ram, who was among those arrested and incarcerated for three days in Jaipur, said the farmers of the Shekhawati region would submit a memorandum, highlighting the State government’s attitude of going back on its promise, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Jhunjhunu for launching the National Nutrition Mission on March 8.

Remunerative price

In addition to farm loan waiver, the agreement signed with the State government on September 13 had covered the subjects of remunerative price for agricultural produce, implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for elderly farmers and protection to the cattle rearers transporting bovine animals.

The AIKS leader said though the next two months would be the season for harvesting of crops, the farmers would overwhelmingly participate in the agitation and take their protest to its logical end.