Hyderabad: All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) on Wednesday started an indefinite protest at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad as part of the nationwide agitation against the three farm laws passed by Centre.
The protest saw a large number of women farmers, agricultural workers, tenant farmers and family members of the victims of farmer suicides joining the Dharna.
They declared their support to the agitating farmers on the Delhi border, and said that they were all part of this nationwide struggle and will carry on protesting until the three “anti-farmer” acts are repealed and a legal guarantee of MSP is provided.
The protesting farmers and activists burnt the copies of the three farm laws, showing their strong opposition and shout slogans demanding their withdrawal.
A poster exhibition “Propaganda vs Truth” was inaugurated, consisting of a series of posters in English and Telugu that provide “factual information” to counter the “false propaganda” by the Central government and the ruling BJP party.
Five women members of the victims of farmer suicides, who also joined the protest, said they have already faced the brunt of the economic policies in the last two decades. They claimed if the three farm laws are operationalized, it would severely jeopardize their capacity to sustain in the ‘open market’ and would lose even the minimum support they now have.
Mangamma, leader of a women farmers’ cooperative in Yadadri district, said, “We are facing a struggle to sell the fine paddy which the state government asked us to grow but is not purchasing. With these Acts, the Central government wants to wash its hands off all responsibility to ensure that farmers get a good price for their crops.”
Poet-activist Vimala Morthala, and Khalida Parveen from Amoomat Society, both of whom had recently returned from Singhu and Tikri borders, spoke of their experiences interacting with the farmers at the “historic struggle” and how they have “stood the ground”.