Farmers, workers extend support to Kisan Mahapanchayat

Ongole: The members of the Prakasam district unit of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, and various trade unions organised a bike rally and a protest at the Collectorate in Ongole on Thursday to support leaders and members of the Farmers’ Unions participating in the Kisan Mahapanchayat at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. The bike rally started from Mini Stadium.

Speaking at the protest presided over by SKM, AITUC, and CITU leaders S Lalita Kumari, Bhimavarapu Subbarao, Kothakota Venkateswarlu, Gantenapalli Srinivasulu, the SKM district convener Chunduri Rangarao said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to keep his promises made to the farmers on December 9, 2021 convincing them to call off the protests.

He said that Modi should be ashamed for trying to split the agitation, but the unity of the farmers didn’t make him successful. He demanded legal status of the MSP on the formula C2+50% as suggested by MS Swaminathan, ex-gratia to the farmers who died in the protests, and installation of a memorial at Delhi borders to remember the agitation of the farmers.

The farmers and workers leaders K Veerareddy, Pamidi Venkatrao, SD Sardar, Kalpana, R Mohan, K Anjaneyulu, and others demanded that the Union government to withdraw the proposal to fix smart meters to agriculture motors, provide Rs 6,000 as pension to poor farmers and farm workers attaining age of 60 years, cancelation of four labour codes and implement the earlier 44 workers acts, give a minimum salary of Rs 26,000 per month to workers as per the Supreme Court orders, withdraw privatization of Vizag Steel Plant, increase workdays to 200 in MGNREGS and pay minimum wage of Rs 600 considering the inflation, etc.,