Second victory of peasantry after freezing of Land Acquisition Ordinance: AIKS demands to reopen cattle market, ensure safe transportation of cattle

The implicit decision of the Central Government to withdraw the notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter in animal market is the second victory of the peasant resistance against the anti-farmer Modi Government. The first victory was the decision of the Central Government to freeze the infamous Land Acquisition Bill 2015 after countrywide peasant protest. This will help to further reinforce the secular, democratic and socialist principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. AIKS congratulate all the progressive forces in Parliament, Judiciary, Executive and Media who relentlessly stood for fighting the communal mindset behind the cattle ban notification and pressurized the Central Government to withdraw the same.

Ever since the anti farmer notification was issued by the Ministry of Environment AIKS initiated consistent struggle against the same. As per the call of AIKS, the copy of the notification was burnt in all the districts of the country. AIKS along with Bhumi Adhikar Andolan has undertaken widespread campaign and struggles in various states. AIKS filed PIL in the Supreme Court which eventually extended stay on the notification all over the country. It had been a body blow to the Modi Government. This notification was an anti-national move to crush the unity of the people and the country by the RSS that propagate pseudo nationalism of ‘Hindu Rashtra’; an erroneous concept of nationalism which was rejected by the people of the country during the period of independence struggle against British Colonialism.

All this helped to expose the hidden agenda of the Central Government led by RSS-BJP combine to communalize the civil society by dividing the people based on their differences in faith, food habits and tradition of value system. The cattle wealth provides 30% income of peasant households and the ban on sale of cattle has severely affected their livelihood. Such most insensitive decision especially when the Indian agriculture has been under acute crisis was a blatant attack on the rights of the peasantry. It has stir up wide anger among the farming community ad forced them to rally against the RSS –BJP combine.

Ever since Narendra Modi becomes the Prime minister, so far 30 people including two dairy farmers – Pehlu Khan of Nuh district in Haryana and Umar Khan of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan- were killed in mob violence unleashed by Sanghapariwar organizations in different parts of the country under the cover of ‘cow protection campaign’. Never the Prime Minister took a firm stand against this cruelty and ensured all the culprits were booked and punished as per the law of the land. Rather the killers were protected and even honored with employment in Public Sector Units as in the case of murder of Muhmmed Akhlak in Dadri. The Muslims and Dalits were attacked by criminal gangs under the rule of Modi. The people conceive that under the Modi Raj, RSS Shakhas rule the country. Such a ‘State sponsored lawlessness’ never happened in this country.

The AIKS demand the Central Government to strictly direct all the State Governments to reopen and ensure free operations of cattle markets and safe transportation of cattle. Those BJP led State Governments which have enacted ban on cattle slaughter ought to amend the law to include provisions that the State Government has to purchase the unproductive cattle from farmers by giving them market price and protect all stray cattle in public cattle shelter to avoid destruction of crops. Stringent action must be taken against criminal gangs operating in the name of ‘Gourakshaks’ and such organized fascistic forces must be banned. The central Government must provide Rs one crore each as compensation to the families of all the victims murdered by the criminal mobs.

Issued by

HannanMollah, General Secretary
Ashok Dhawale, President