NEW DELHI: The campaign against the agricultural implosions of the Dunkel proposals reached a new high on March 3, when thousands of farmers from different parts of the country collected in the Capital, demanding total rejection of the Dunkel draft.
The grounds behind Red Fort, venue of the farmers’ rally, was Packed to capacity for most part of the day and conservative estimates put the strength around 40,000. Farmers sat patiently, all cars to what their leaders had to say about the ‘threat’ from Dunkel.
‘They had trooped in with a vague idea of the Dunkel danger, aware that there was some sort of a ‘threat’ from across the seas, The full import of the interests Dunkel Represents sank in gradually and farmers began applauding and shaking fists every time their leaders threatened to expel the multinational giants from the country.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and the Karnataka Rajya Ryota Sangh (KRRS) airing the farmers’ Opposition to the Dunkel demand for foreign patenting of plant varieties and genes later demanded ratification of all international agreements by Parliament and State Legislatures. For this the Constitution should be amended accordingly, they demanded.
BKU president Mahendra Singh Tikait and Prof M.D.Nanjundaswamy, chief of the KRRS, held meetings with farmer leaders from different parts of the Country while others kept alive the proceedings, the speeches punctuated with clegies and warlike sounds of the copper bugle *Ransingha.”
City bred anti Dunkel activists rubbed shoulders with farmers, distributing pamphlets and holding aloft banners of different shades and kinds. Farmers swirled green shawls in the air every time a farmer leader made an appearance on the dais and up went banners like ‘Gene Campaign Ka Yeh Sandesh/Hamara Beej Hamara Desh’ (This is the Gene Campaign message/Our country, Our seeds) and ‘Let us banish multinational corporations from the country,’
Although devoid of political color and speech, the rally turned Out to be a critical appraisal of Government functioning.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 12, 1993
