Rakesh Tikait to attend Maha Panchayat in Ongole

Ongole: The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and other farmers' organisations' leaders announced that they will conduct a Farmers and Workers Maha Panchayat in Ongole on April 19. National leaders like Rakesh Singh Tikait, Ashok Dhawale, K Ashok Rao and others will also participate in it.

Speaking at a preparatory meeting held at Mallaiah Lingam Bhavan here on Saturday, AIKSCC district convener Chunduru Ranga Rao announced that the national farmers unions and associations are conducting the Maha Panchayats at various places to motivate the public to support and participate in the farmers' agitations.

He said that the Maha Panchayats are being conducted in support of the farmers in protest at Delhi for the last four months demanding the withdrawal of the new farm laws, constitutional guarantee for minimum support price with a 50 per cent margin over cost of production, cancellation of Electricity Amendments Bill, the introduction of farmers' indebtedness relief Act, cancellation of labour codes, withdrawal of proposals to disinvest in the public sector units, and direction to government agencies to purchase the subabul and eucalyptus from the social forestry farmers.

Ranga Rao informed that the Maha Panchayat will be held in Ongole on April 19, Monday and the spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union Rakesh Singh Tikait, AIKSCC president Ashok Dhawale, All India Power Engineers Forum patron K Ashok Rao, All India Kisan Sabha Punjab president Balkaran Singh Brar, All Indian Agriculture Workers Union president B Venkat, and leaders from All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha and other organisations will also participate in the programme.