Farmers associations, Left parties garner support for Bharat Bandh
Farmers' leaders attending the Bharat Bandh preparatory meeting at Ongole on Wednesday
Ongole : Various associations and unions of farmers and farm workers under the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and the Left parties are garnering support from the people for the Bharat Bandh, scheduled on September 27.
The farmers' leaders from various organisations under the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, conducted a preparatory meeting at Ranga Bhavan here on Wednesday.
The farmers' leaders including Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Chunduru Rangarao, Y Kesava Rao, Chunchu Seshaiah, Chittipati Venkateswarlu, D Venkateswarlu, K Uma Maheswara Rao, Vallamreddy Rajagopala Reddy and others participated in the meeting.
They opined that the State government is diverting the people's attention from their basic issues. That's why people from other States participate in agitations.
They mentioned that it is the people from Andhra Pradesh who should participate in the agitations against the government as the farmers in the State are earning an average of just Rs 6,990 per month, has a loan burden of Rs 2.45 lakh per head as per the NABARD data. They said that 92.7 per cent of the farmers in the State are debt-ridden as per the same data, and these values indicate the poorest status of the people in the State.
The farmers' leaders decided to campaign in support of the Bharat Bandh at the mandal headquarters and important villages in the district, up to September 20.
They opined that though the farmers, farmworkers and workers unions are leading the agitation against the three farm laws, labour laws and electricity law amendments, the customers are at the losing end and they should also extend their support.
They said that everyone is hit by the increase of essential commodities prices, fuel, LPG and electricity charges. The leaders advised the people to understand the damage by the new laws and the fight of the farmers and join in the protest by large numbers to make Bharat Bandh a success.
In a press meet at Mallaiah Lingam Bhavan in Ongole, the CPI district secretary ML Narayana said that the Jan Andolan, the walk against the anti-public decisions of the Union government including disinvestment in Vizag Steel Plant by the CPI secretary K Ramakrishna enters into the district on September 19.
He said that the Jan Andolan was started on September 14 at Anantapur and will end in Visakhapatnam on September 21. He requested the people to support the Jan Andolan on September 19 and Bharat Bandh on September 27 and make them a success.