Bhubaneswar: Several farmers’ outfits from across the state under the banner of All India Kisan Sangharsha Coordination Committee staged a protest here, Friday, against the controversial farm Bills passed in the Parliament recently.
Farmers’ outfits like Bhaartiya Kisan Union, All India Farmers Union and All India Kisan Mahasangha demonstrated near Master Canteen Square. They tried to gherao Krushi Bhawan in the city but were stopped by police. The protest was supported by political parties like Congress. Many farmer leaders, activists, trade union leaders and student activists joined the protest. Suresh Panigrahi, member of committee, said, “Passing of the farm Bills amidst the pandemic is not acceptable. The government didn’t even consult the farmer organisations nor any state. Agriculture is a state subject, they are doing it for corporates and it is anti-farmer, by all means, even their own farmer organisation is opposing the Bills.”
Similarly, Narendra Mohanty, another member of the outfit, said the state government didn’t object to the Bills strongly and thus supported the Centre for their own interest.”
The protesters burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with slogans of ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’ at Master Canteen Square. Commissionerate Police deployed 15 platoons of police to prevent any incident.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik extended the moral support to the agitation, which was observed nationwide as ‘Bharat Bandh’. Other party leaders were seen voicing their concerns over the farm Bills passed in the Parliament recently.
“An agitation is going on across the state and I am supporting it. Such Bills will break the backbone of the farmers. We all are devastated by this move of the BJP government. We demand withdrawal of the Bills by the Central government,” Congress leader Suresh Routray said.
BJP spokesperson Prithviraj Harichandan said, “Today, the farmers are not doing the agitation. The farmers are welcoming the decision taken by the Prime Minister to ensure farmers welfare in the country. The steps taken by the government will ensure that the middlemen do not get the benefit. This was a historic decision but some parties are organising protests to ensure their existence.”
The three Bills that were passed in the Parliament are: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
While the Centre has defended the Bills, the Congress and many other opposition parties have said that these new laws were pro-corporate and would enslave the farmers.