Report by a correspondent of Mazdoor Ekta Committee
On 22 September, 2024, Mazdoor Ekta Committee organized a meeting on the demand of MSP. People from Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, North-Eastern states, as well as from other countries – England, Canada, Australia etc. attended this meeting.
The main speakers in this meeting were – Mr. Santosh Kumar from Mazdoor Ekta Committee; Mr. Angrez Singh Bhador and Mr. Manjit Singh Dhaner from Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Dakaunda; and Mr. Sukhwinder Singh Sabhara from Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Punjab).
The meeting was conducted by Mr. Birju Nayak on behalf of Mazdoor Ekta Committee. Giving a brief introduction of the work of Mazdoor Ekta Committee, he said that Mazdoor Ekta Committee has organized several meetings on the subject of farmers’ struggle for MSP, in which representatives of various farmers’ organizations, workers’ organizations and trade unions and activists from different parts of the country and abroad have participated. He invited the speakers to present their views by turn.
Shri Santosh Kumar shared detailed information with the participants in the meeting about the farmers’ struggle for MSP. Refuting all the arguments of the government for denying this important demand of the farmers and exposing the real intentions of the rulers behind it, he said that all the domestic and foreign monopoly companies want to dominate agricultural trade. The central government wants to ensure that the interests of monopoly capitalists who earn maximum profits from agricultural trade, are preserved. (See: Presentation of Mazdoor Ekta Committee)
Shri Angrez Singh Bhador from Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta, Dakaunda said that the government is not implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee. Farmers are demanding MSP. They are demanding C2, i.e. an additional 50% over the cost, but the government is only talking of A2, i.e. not including kisan family’s labour cost, interest and land rent. The cost of family labour is not being included. The government is working according to WTO guidelines, in which the MSP is seen as a subsidy and according to their rules, subsidy cannot be more than 10%. Shri Angrez Singh Bhador expressed hope that with the power of our people’s unity, we can change even the WTO agreement. If there is unity among our people, we can take MSP and create a system that will be in favour of labourers and farmers.
Shri Manjit Singh Dhaner also spoke from the same organisation.
Sukhwinder Singh Sabhara from Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Punjab) said that MSP is also very important for consumers. Government should take responsibility for purchase and sale of agricultural produce. But the government does not want to go against traders. WTO works in the interest of big international monopoly companies. The main problem is that the government is committed to fulfilling the conditions of WTO.
Shri Girish from Kamgar Ekta Committee clarified that the farmers’ movement is not demanding MSP for a few crops but is demanding legal guarantee of MSP for all crops and assured purchase by the government. If MSP is given on pulses etc., more pulses will be produced. This will save children and women of our country from malnutrition.
Some other participants who expressed their views included – Shri Dalwinder and Shri Salwinder from Indian Workers Association (Great Britain); Shri. Sanjay Pandhi from All India Loco Running men’s Organisation; Shri. Hanuman Prasad Sharma, Vice President, Lok Raj Sangathan; Shri Narayan Dutt from Inquilabi Kendra (Punjab); Shri. Rahul, agricultural labourer and others.
Concluding the meeting, Mr. Birju Nayak, called upon people to intensify their struggles. He said that the struggle for the guarantee of MSP is a part of our struggle to establish a new society whose aim will be to ensure the increasing prosperity of the toilers, and not to increase the profits of the Indian and foreign capitalists.