Rural India Strike by farmers and left parties started in Prakasam

Ongole: The farmers, members of left parties and other organizations are participating in protests and rasta roko in the rural areas of Prakasam district since the early morning of Wednesday, as part of Rural India strike proposed by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and its members of 250 plus farmer organizations.

The AIKSCC and its farmers' organizations, CPI, CPM, CPIML, CPIML New Democracy, BSNL, postal unions along with the other trade unions are observing the strike since early morning in Prakasam district. The members of the organizations obstructed the movement of RTC buses by sitting in a protest opposite various depots in the district. The police personnel tried to pacify the protestors and send them away from the place to give way to buses, and arrested them wherever required. The trade unions and other farmers organizations organizing rallies in the Mandal level to create awareness on the demands of the farmers, left parties, trade unions.

The farmers in the are demanding the government to ensure minimum support prices at 50 per cent more than the complete cost to farmers, provide freedom from indebtedness, implementing effective crop insurance, timely disbursement of disaster compensation, implementation of the Forest Rights Act and others. The farmers listed their local issues like an assurance of minimum support price for subabul and jamail, purchase of 30 lakh quintals of chickpea pending in godowns by the central and state governments, providing equal price per litre of milk along with the Krishna district dairy farmers, provide a better price for tobacco etc.

The left parties and other organizations supported the farmers' demands and also demanded the government to withdraw anti-people decisions. They demanded the government to control prices of commodities, shun implementation of CAA, NRC and NPR. They alleged that the BJP led government in the centre is trying to divide the country by religion and advised to stop hatred politics.

The trade unions demanded the union government extend help to small and medium industries but not to the corporate companies. They demanded the government to provide a salary of Rs 21000 and VDA, not encourage FDIs and privatization, withdraw amendments in labour acts, reduce GST and implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations.