No heed paid to demands, HP farm body warn of state-wide agitation

Shimla: Claiming that it played a key role in the defeat of BJP in the recently held byelections of Mandi parliamentary seat and Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly seats, Himachal Pradesh-based

Sanyukt Kisan Manch

has warned of prolonged agitation if chief minister Jai Ram Thakur failed to invite them to discuss 15-point

charter of demands

submitted in August.

Sanyukt Kisan Manch convener

Harish Chauhan

said farmers would devise their future strategy in coming days as important issues like

minimum support price

(MSP) and market intervention scheme (MIS) for apple on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir were still not addressed.

While addressing mediapersons in Shimla on Saturday, Chauhan said the Manch, consisted of 24 organisations of Himachal, and was collectively taking up the burning issues confronting farmers but ironically the charter of demand had failed to attract any attention of the state government.

He said it seemed that the state government wanted them to launch an agitation like one going on in Delhi. He said under MIS, support price of Rs 60-70 per kg for A grade apple, Rs 44 per kg for B grade apple and Rs 24 per kg for C grade apple should be provided.

Despite facing defeat in the byelections, the BJP government was not ready to address the problems of farmers, he claimed. It had come to light that apple purchased from farmers at the rate of Rs 12 per kg was sold at Rs 196 to Rs 250 per kg in Bangalore, he alleged.

People whose land was being acquired for the national highway projects in Mandi district were going to hold protest at Dharamshala during the winter session on December 14 and Manch would also join them, he added.


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