Bhubaneswar: The agitating Odisha farmers under the banner of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) Friday said they would launch civil disobedience movement from November 12 to press for their various demands.
On Monday, police stopped the farmers on the National Highway before they could enter Bhubaneswar where a mass convention was planned to highlight the issues affecting them.
Addressing a presser here, NNKS national convener Akshaya Kumar said farmers will resort to Satyagraha at all panchayat offices in the state November 12 and gherao all police stations protesting police action against farmers November 15.
“We will gherao the police stations as police had arrested our farmer friends with charges on which the farmers are being released by submitting Rs 5,000 bond papers,” Kumar said.
Asked about the government’s inter-ministerial panel headed by Finance Minister S B Behera, the NNKS leader said, “We have already rejected the government committee as this will not solve the problems of farmers.”
“We had demanded the state government to provide Rs 21,600 crore stipend to 36 lakh farmers and announce an ordinance to this effect. We have decided that the farmers will continue civil disobedience in all villages, tehsils, blocks and the district headquarters till the state government issues the ordinance,” Kumar said.
He said the NNKS has been demanding ‘3Ps’ (price on agricultural produces, pension for both young and old farmers and prestige in government offices) for the past eight years.
However, the government has not been able to fulfil any of the three demands, Kumar said, adding that the agitation will continue till the government constitutes a farmer welfare fund.
Only after the farmers marched towards the state capital Monday, the state government had formed an inter-ministerial committee to look into the demands of the farmers, he pointed out.
The committee, with Finance Minister S B Behera as its chairperson, along with ministers of Agriculture, Panchayati Raj and Cooperation as other members, would discuss the demands of the farmers.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy once again appealed to the farmers to cooperate with government and participate in discussion for taking further decision.
