CHANDIGARH: Thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana held a massive rally at the Parade Ground in Sector 17 on Oct.2.and Resolved to cut the use of fertilizers by 50% to protest the steep increase in its prices. They warmed the Central government that the Responsibility of a “serious food scarcity” in the country will rest with it,
At the rally, organized by Bharti Kisan Union, farmers unanimously passed a resolution extending support to the agitation being launched by the farmers of Haryana, who have stopped paying electricity tariff in protest over its increase to Rs 39.50 per BHP per month,
Farmers of the whole country will unitedly stand by their Haryana brethren and they will not pay electricity tariff in the state until the hike is withdrawn,” the resolution said.
Another resolution adopted at the rally warned the Punjab government of a “vigorous” agitation in the state if it decided to increase electricity tariff to put the burden of “corruption, inefficiency an unnecessary overhead costs of the Punjab State Electricity Board on farmers.”
Among those who addressed the rally were the all-India president of the union, Bhupinder Singh Mann, MP, Balbir Singh Rajewal, secretary, Baldev Singh Mainpur,” president of Punjab unit of the union, Gurbachan Singh Bajwa, general secretary; Ghasi Ram Nain, president of the Haryana unit; Chanda Singh, general secretary; and Harpal Singh, president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the union. BKU leaders said that the government, which had only last year “squeezed” Rs 4,000 crores from farmers by ordering a 30% increase in the prices of fertilizers was again ready to bleed them for another Rs 4,555 crore by increasing the prices of phosphatic and potassic fertilizers. Even the manufacturers of phosphatic fertilizers squeezed another Rs 4,500 crore from farmers after government decontrolled its prices, they said.
They criticized the government for putting an additional burden of Rs 1,900 crore on the people by increasing the prices of diesel, petrol and cooking gas, saying that the farmers alone will have to share the burden of Rs 1 000 crore. Now, the government’s decision to totally decontrol the prices of petroleum products will further increase the prices of not only diesel and petrol, but also that of the fertilizers, they added.
“Nehruvian policies” came in for heavy fire from the BKU leaders and an effigy representing these policies was burnt at the rally. The speakers accused the government of adopting double standards and said that it was importing food grains at a high cost only to bring down the prices of food grains produced by farmers in the country. On the other hand, it was safeguarding the interests of industry by imposing curbs on import of products such as tractors, etc.,
Article extracted from this publication >> October 16, 1992
