Agitating Farmers Find More Support From Defence Civilian Employees

An agitation which has turned the attention of the whole world is going on in the Borders of Delhi. Initially it was Farmers from Punjab and Haryana, now Farmers including from far-off south is joining the agitation. The Farmers are overwhelmingly up in arms against the 3 Laws passed by the Parliament. The Govt. is unfortunately not sensitive towards their demands.

The Farmer Union leaders are not touching the food and Tea offered by the government. They bring their own Tea and food, infact they have offered the Ministers to have the langar food. Without mincing words the farmers have told the Govt. to focus on resolving issues instead of hosting food for them. The Farmers are convinced that the new 3 Farm Bills will take away their rights and will exploit them without giving fair price to their products. Their ancestral land cannot be given to the Private Corporates and crony capitalists. The Farmers are genuinely afraid that the robust mandi system which is perceived to be dismantled by the new laws. It is a known fact that Corporatisation of agriculture and farming will put them in deep crisis when already their income is getting shrinked.

The farmers are very firm and one of their leader has clearly stated that “The Govt. kept asking us for specific suggestions on which clause we want to add, what we want to remove. We made it clear that we are not here to discuss any amendments. Our demand has remained the same form the very beginning we want a full repeal of the law”.

The supporters of the Government are trying to brand the agitation as a protest of big farmers and some how to brand it as anti national as usual. But the fact is that the entire farming community including Agricultural workers are in the field. Thousands of youngsters have also joined the agitation.

News coming from the state of Odisha says that hundred of Farmers stacked their paddy on major roads Protesting against faulty procurement procedures. The Farmers are always at the receiving end. A Bharat Bandh has been called by the Farmers through out the country. The 4 Left parties have come together to extend support to the Farmers Organisations that have called for Bharat Bandh on Dec. 8 th 2020.

They have appealed to all the Political parties to stand with the Farmers. The top leaders of the 10 Central Trade Union visited the struggling Farmers and extended their solidarity and support to the Farmers. The Joint platform of the Central Trade Unions and Independent Federations reiterated their support to the united struggle of the Farmers and called for solidarity with an active support to the call for the Bharat Bandh.

The All India Defence Employees Federation which is already in a warpath along with other Federations against Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories, Privatisation of Defence Production, FDI in Defence, Closure of Defence Units, New Pension Scheme, etc., has given a clarion call to the Defence Civilian Employees to extend full support to the Farmers. Majority of the Defence Civilian Employees themselves are children of the Farmers.

On December 8, 2020 the Defence Civilian employees will conduct postering campaigning, demonstration etc., in support of the Farmers through out the country. The Government should not neglect the annadadas. The rulers should address their concerns. The Government should take urgent measures to resolve their demands. After all we are live in this world only because of
them. They cannot be neglected and their interest has to be taken care.

The views expressed here are those C.Srikumar, General Secretary All India Defence Employees Federation and National Executive Committee Member of AITUC