The
protest movement launched by farmers more than a year ago became
the most serious political challenge to the government, and
resulted in Modi making a surprise commitment on Friday to roll
back the reforms.
Thousands gathered for the latest rally in Lucknow, the capital
of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, where Modi's
Bharatiya Janata Party will seek to hold onto power in state
elections due early next year. They turned their attention to
minimum support prices (MSP), which were a side issue in the
agricultural reform laws.
"Our battle is only half won," Joginder Singh Ugrahan, a
prominent farmers' leader, said in an address to about 5,000
farmers waving flags of various farmer and labour organisations.
"Ensuring that the government makes a law MSP is a big issue for
all of us," he said. "Our protests will end once the government
passes the law on MSP."
Currently, the government mainly buys rice and wheat at minimum
support prices or guaranteed prices, but the safety net benefits
barely 6% of India's millions of farmers.
In a letter addressed to Modi on Sunday, the main farmers' body
said: "Minimum Support Price, based on the comprehensive cost of
production, should be made a legal entitlement of all farmers
(and) for all agricultural produce . . ."
Farmers also asked in the letter for the federal government to
withdraw a draft electricity bill, which they fear would lead to
state governments withdrawing their right to free or subsidised
power, used mainly for irrigation.
Farmers have also asked the government to drop fines and other
penalties for burning their fields after harvesting to remove
stalk and chaff. The smoke has become a major source of air
pollution in Delhi and satellite towns bordering the crop
growing northern states.
(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav and Saurabh Sharma; Additional
reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and
Susan Fenton)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|