Kisan Khet Mazdoor MahaPanchayat at Delhi

A historical Kisan Khet Mazdoor MahaPanchayat has been sitting in a dharna since March 18th, on the Parliament Street in the heart of India's capital, Delhi. http://lvcsouthasia.blogspot.in/ has more information.

This is historical because organised farmers' unions and peoples' movements (NAPM) joined hands together to defend land rights of farming communities and a set of demands for protecting agricultural livelihoods including a minimum guaranteed income to all farm households (which perforce has to take up a basket of measures for making the interventions of state show up/result in these minimum incomes), fair and remunerative prices in addition to promotion of ecological farming (NO to GMOs and agri-chemicals and corporate takeover of farming through various inputs like seeds). This is also a fight against those policies which are going against farmers, whether it is related to seed, or free trade agreements or FDI in retail.


Its a shame that 1000s of farmers are there assembled in new Delhi and protesting..I was there the last 2 days and its amazing that most farmers who came for just a days panchayat decide to stay on till the PM/GOI respond to them..
but sadly, the govt and media has chosen to ignore them.. 
It is indeed historical in one sense that farm labours, peoples movement and all farmers unions have come together!
The thousands of people who have come into Delhi from 15 states are showing a great deal of resolve to stay put until the Prime Minister meets them, and nothing less than that. IT IS TIME THAT THE REST OF US AROUND THE COUNTRY DID A SIMPLE ACTION OF EXTENDING SOLIDARITY TO THESE THOUSANDS (LAST EVENING, ANOTHER THIRTY TRACTORLOADS OF PEOPLE ARRIVED FROM NEIGHBORING STATES). FAX A LETTER FROM YOUR RESPECTIVE LETTERHEADS TO THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE TODAY. JUST TAKE THOSE TEN MINUTES TO DO THIS, AND DO YOUR BIT TO SUPPORT THE CAUSE.

( Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, Government of India. Fax: 011- 23019545/23016857 )