Sitaram Yechury, CPM MPs join farmers group in New Delhi to demand loan waiver

New Delhi: Demanding loan waiver and fair prices for agricultural produces to farmers, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) along with CPM leaders staged protest in New Delhi on Tuesday.

File image of CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury. AFP

The protest, 'Kisan Mukti Sansad', was culmination of the farmers' agitation of 'Kisan Mukti Yatra' launched on 6 July from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, where six farmers were allegedly killed in police firing on 6 June, by the peasants' bodies.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, party MPs Mohammed Salim, Tapan Sen and Jitendra Choudhary, AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah and other farmers' leaders from various parts of the country took part in the 'sansad' at Jantar Mantar, the AIKS said in a statement.

The 'Kisan Yatra' passed through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana before reaching the national capital.

"The AIKS and Bhumi Adhikar Andolan representing over 300 organisations of the peasantry, agricultural workers, adivasis and Dalits were part of this initiative.

"They raised common demands of full loan waiver of the peasantry, fair prices as recommended by Swaminathan Commission," the statement said.

The AIKS said children of farmers who ended their lives by killing self also took part in the protest meeting and pledged to make the country free of farmers' suicides.

AIKS joint secretaries NK Shukla, Vijoo Krishnan, finance secretary P Krishnaprasad and other leaders took part in the protest.