Farmers In Madhya Pradesh Puncture ‘Nationwide’ Strike Claim; Call It Conspiracy By Opposition Parties

Refuting reports of ‘nationwide’ protests, farmers in Madhya Pradesh (MP) today claimed that the protests were being manufactured by political parties and there was in fact no such protest going on.

It was earlier reported that farmers across seven states including Haryana, MP, Maharashtra and Punjab had announced a 10-day "gaon bandh" starting 1 June, demanding timely payment of Minimum support price (MSP) as well as government support for fruits and vegetable procurement.

It was earlier proclaimed that as part of the protests, the farmers will suspend the supply of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products to nearby cities and mandis. Roadside dharnas along 20 major national highways were also to be organised.

The protests were to be held under the banner of Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (RKM), a federation of 130 farmers' organisations. Their additional demands included loan waiver, pensions for farmers, support on ethanol as an alternative fuel, power supply for water pumps and implementation of Swaminathan commission's recommendation on MSP.

A farmer delegation had earlier met the President on Monday and petitioned for a special session of parliament focussing on the agrarian crisis. Unlike last year's protests however, this wave of protest seems to be disjointed as some of the larger farmer groups were staying away. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti- a coalition of 193 farmer organisations and Yogendra Yadav's Swaraj Abhiyan had announced their decision to stay away.