'Maha Panchayat' in Ongole on April 19

Ongole: The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and other farmers' organisations asked the farmers and public to make the Maha Panchayat, scheduled on April 19, at ABM Junior College grounds here a grand success.

AIKSCC State convener Vadde Sobhanadriswara Rao, AIKS vice-president Ravula Venkaiah, vice president of AP Rythu Sangham Pentyala Narasimha Rao, AIKSCC Prakasam district convener Chunduri Rangarao addressed a press meet to explain the details of the meeting, here on Thursday.

They 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. They explained that due to the new farm laws, the farmers will be forced to sell their produce with no support of MSP to the corporate companies like Reliance Retail, Walmart, Future, D Mart, Adani Fortune, Metro, More and others, as there will no market system. They said that the new laws would help the big players in the market to hoard essential goods and make a profit on them by creating temporary scarcity.

They 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 the minimum support price with a 50 per cent margin over comprehensive cost, 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 order the government agencies to purchase the subabul and eucalyptus from the social forestry farmers.

They informed that the Maha Panchayat will be held in Ongole on April 19, 2021, Monday and the spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union Rakesh Singh Tikait, All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dhawale, All India Kisan Sabha Punjab president Balkaran Singh Brar, All Indian Agriculture Workers Union president B Venkat, and general secretary of All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha Ashok Ghayal and other organisations also participate in the programme.