People's Democracy

ACCEPT THE JUST DEMANDS OF RAJASTHAN FARMERS: AIKS

S Ramachandran Pillai, president and K Varadharajan, general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha have issued the following statement on October 16, 2006

THE struggle of Rajasthan farmers for the release of canal water in three districts of Hanumangarh, Ganganagar and Bikaner is continuing. On October 16, 2006 they are going to lay siege to the sub divisional office after a big rally at Gharsana.

Demanding immediate release of water for Rabi crops, thousands of peasants from more than 1500 villages of these districts started road block agitation from the morning of October 10, which is still going on. Tens of thousands of people are participating in this road block irrespective of their political affiliation under the leadership of All India Kisan Sabha. 

The BJP-led Rajasthan state government of Vasundhara Raje is continuing the repressive measures and deployed hundreds of armed police personnel in these three districts and is attacking the people. But the police could not cow down the people of Rajasthan. In order to defeat the agitation, police have resorted to lathicharge in many places and imposed curfew in many villages.

In the lathicharge in Saki village, many people have been severely injured. But the struggle is going on. Curfew was imposed in Ganganagar Town’s main centre and various places including 17 MD, 22 MD and 60 DD and also in Chahaya, Pilibanga, Makkasar, Dhaulipal, in Hanumangarh district. Loonkaransar, Khajoobala and some other villages in Bikaner are some of the villages, where curfew is imposed. People are sitting on roads outside the curfew bound area. 

Agitators have broken the police barricade in Gharsana and entered the village, where a big meeting is going on defying the curfew.

The government failed to release water as per the agreement with the farmers. If they do not get water now, the Rabi crop will be damaged. Hence, the farmers demanded immediate release of water and held a huge rally at Gharsana last week. They declared there would be massive “Rasta Roko” from Lunkaram Sar of Bikaner to Rowla of Ganganagar and Hanumangarh on October 10, 2006 if water is not released in the first week of October.

Instead of releasing water, the BJP government of Rajasthan chose to come down on the farmers and arrested the leaders of the movement – Hetram Beniwal and Sahib Ram Puniya and other leaders of the Sangharsh Samity on October 13, when they were meeting farmers at 17 Chowk of Gharsana and put them behind bars.

Hetram has been lodged in Bharat Pur Jail and Shahibram Punia in Udaipur Jail. Nobody is allowed to visit them. 

All India Kisan Sabha demands the Rajasthan government to concede the demands of the agitators immediately by releasing canal water for Rabi crop and withdraw the all repressive measures, release all those arrested. It also demanded the withdrawal of curfew and action against police officers who are responsible for attacking people. 

The struggle will continue till the state government releases canal water for Rabi crop. The leaders congratulated the peasants, agricultural workers and other people of Rajasthan for their heroic struggle. (INN)