Farmers under the joint farmers council in Kerala started an indefinite protest in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday in solidarity with the farmers agitating at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border against the contentious farm laws passed by the Union government. The indefinite strike, launched in front of the Palayam Martyr’s column, was inaugurated by S Ramachandran Pillai, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and national vice-president of the All India Kisan Sabha.
Members of the joint council will stage a protest every day in front of the Martyr’s column from 10 am to 7 pm, reported the Times of India. The council will also reportedly hold similar protests across various Kerala districts in the coming days in support of the farmers protesting at Singhu border.
The farmers have been protesting indefinitely at Singhu against the three recently passed laws – Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 – raising concerns that these laws would suppress the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement system.
Extending solidarity to the farmers in Singhu, Ramachandran Pillai said that the Union government will have to accede to the demands of the hardworking farmers of the country. This fight by farmers is for the right of life, he said. He added that hundreds of farmers will everyday join the lakhs of farmers already gathered in Delhi.
Ramachandran also added that the laws passed by the Union government will not only affect farmers but also adversely affect all those who utilise agricultural products. All the three laws ultimately aim to hand over farm products into the hands of corporates, Ramachandran says as per Malayala Manorama report.
CPI Assistant Secretary K Prakash Babu said that about 600 farmer unions have joined the protests so far. This shows how deep-rooted the farmers’ concerns are, he added. The joint council members also urged all farmers in the state to come out and extend their support to the ongoing protests.
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Watch video from the farmers protest in Delhi