On October 3, eight people including four kisans were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, when a convoy of the Deputy Chief Minister of the state deliberately rammed into kisans protesting against his visit to the area. Many suffered grievous injuries. Members of the convoy opened fire on the peacefully protesting kisans, injuring many more. The son of the BJP MP of the area, who is also a Union Minister, who was leading the convoy brazenly declared that kisans should know who they were dealing with – he was boasting about his criminal record which is well known in the state.
On the same day, the Haryana Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar incited members of his party to gather a few hundred people, pick up lathis and attack the kisans protesting in various districts of the state. He further declared that they should not worry about spending a few days in jail, if necessary – they would be considered “heroes”.
The Communist Ghadar Party condemns the brutal killing of the kisans in Lakhimpur Kheri. We condemn the brazen calls of the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments to unleash anarchy and violence in order to drown the kisan andolan in blood.
Kisans have been peacefully protesting for over a year in support of their just demand that the Central government repeal the three anti kisan laws. The struggle of the kisans has been winning increasing support amongst workers and all other sections of the people, all over the country. In the face of the adamant attitude of the central government which has refused to concede their demands, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the united organization of over 500 kisan union all over the country, has given the call for organizing protests whenever Ministers, MP’s and MLA’s of the Haryana and UP state governments organize public meetings. The response of the kisans to this call has been overwhelming. In these conditions, the central government and respective state governments are deliberately provoking violent incidents, to besmirch the kisan andolan.
Thus on August 28, the Haryana Police unleashed brutal violence against kisans protesting the visit of the Haryana Chief Minister to Karnal. The government official in charge of the Chief Minister’s visit was heard calling upon the police to break the heads of the kisans.
What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri is not new. The Indian state has followed the policy of unleashing violence on kisans and then blaming kisans for the violence.
Ten months ago, when the kisans had announced that they would come to Delhi on November 26 to protest against the anti kisan laws, the Central government and the Haryana government unleashed massive violence against kisans at the Punjab-Haryana border. The police dug up the highways, barricaded the roads, and unleashed water cannon and tear gas against the kisans. The governments behaved with the kisans as if they were waging a war with an enemy country. However they failed to stop the kisans from marching to Delhi borders.
Again, on January 26, the central government deliberately planned to unleash anarchy and violence to discredit and divide the kisan andolan. Towards this nefarious end, it first gave permission to kisans to organize a kisan rally in Delhi. It then deliberately changed the routes of the rally at the last moment, as a result of which some kisans reached the Red Fort. It organized clashes at various points in the route. It then carried out sustained propaganda how the kisans were anti national. The aim was to discredit the kisan andolan, in the eyes of the broad masses of people of the country.
The united, militant struggle of the kisans of our country is winning increasing support from all sections of the people. In order to weaken this support, and to smash the struggle of the kisans, the Indian state is unleashing anarchy and violence. It is very clear that it is the rulers who are responsible for this organised and provocative violence against the kisans.