Give one-time comprehensive loan waiver, and remunerative prices to farmers. They won’t ask again’: Kisan Sabha

NEW DELHI: Amid raging debates over sustainability of farm loan waivers, the All India Kisan Sabha, an umbrella peasants’ body of the Left, said the “real reason” for farm debt is the failure of the government to ensure payment of remunerative prices to them.

Kisan Sabha leaders said while farm loan waivers of the kind being handed out as poll sops are not the solution, farmers needed guaranteed remunerative prices for their crops. Senior AIKS leader and former MP Hannan Mollah, said, "We agree that farm loan waiver is not the solution. But the real reason farmers are in debt is because government failed to ensure farmers are paid one-and-a-half times of input costs for their produce. We have demanded that government grant a comprehensive one-time farm loan waiver and give farmers remunerative prices for their crops. Next year, you will find that the farmers will not go back for loans."

AIKS president Ashok Dhawale also retorted that economists who question the viability of farm loan waivers must instead be asked about their views on bank NPAs and corporate loan waivers. “Why don’t they say anything then? It is only when farmer loan waivers are discussed, concerns about the economy arise,” Dhawale said.

Kisan Sabha also announced that nearly 22 farm organisations will join hands to support a two-day protest on January 8-9, followed by another set of protests from January 27, in a run up to the budget session of Parliament. "Our demand is that government must put in place a mechanism to ensure entire produce is purchased at prescribed MSPs," Dhawale said.

In addition to the farm protests, the Kisan Sabha and the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan is also planning to revive the demand for payment of one rank one pension for armed forces, and the protection of India’s democratic institutions. Mollah said, "The protests in Delhi from January 27 will be focused on kisan, jawan and samvidhan, three areas that are under attack under the Narendra Modi government."

CPM’s newly elected legislators in Rajasthan, Balwan Poonia and Girdharilal also said farmers were facing debt burdens because government was only buying a small portion of their crop.