New Delhi, Sep 2: The BJP's drubbing in the upcoming Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir elections is necessary to ensure that the farmers' demands, including that of MSP at ‘C2+50 per cent' formula, are fulfilled, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said on Monday.
In a statement, the SKM said the farmers of Haryana, and Jammu Kashmir will rally the people at large to “Expose, oppose and punish the BJP in the Assembly elections”.
“This will eventually ensure implementation of MSP at C2 plus 50 per cent with guaranteed procurement and comprehensive loan waiver across India with a priority to the small and middle farmers and agricultural workers,” the SKM said.
The SKM, which led the 2020-21 farmers' protests, said the BJP suffered a “massive setback” in the recent Lok Sabha elections, and the NDA lost in 159 rural constituencies “mainly due to the anger among farmers, workers, youth and marginalised sections including minorities, Dalits and Adivasis”.
“Another drubbing to BJP in these Assembly elections will amount to a litmus test for farmers to make certain their victory in the struggle across India against the corporatisation of agriculture and in defence of their livelihoods,” they said.
The Haryana State Coordination Committees of both the SKM and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions will convene a ‘Farmers and Workers Panchayat' on September 7 in Hisar, they said.
“The Haryana chief minister had attempted to misguide the farmers by falsely claiming Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 24 crops consciously hiding the fact that the procurement rate is not based on C2 plus 50 per cent but the current rate of A2+FL+50 per cent,” they said.
“Similarly, the workers' movement was consistently in struggle demanding a minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month, rolling back of four pro-corporate labour codes and regularisation of their jobs in schemes, including Anganwadi, Asha and Mid-Day meals.
But the BJP-led state government in Haryana and the Modi government that rules Jammu Kashmir through the Lieutenant Governor brutally ignored these huge mass sections,” they said.
In its 2006 report, National Commission on Farmers' chairman M S Swaminathan suggested that the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) fix MSP at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production (C2 plus 50 per cent).
