Congress to organise Kisan Mahapanchayats in Madhya Pradesh from March 4

BHOPAL: The Congress has decided to start a series of Kisan Mahapanchayats in Madhya Pradesh from March 4. Farmers of the state would be made aware about the new agricultural laws through these mahapanchayats, the three-day first phase of which would start on March 4, said Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

Talking to mediapersons, Digvijaya Singh said that the Kisan Mahapanchayats would begin at Delanpur village, in Ratlam district, which had witnessed farmers’ unrest earlier. In the evening, it will be organised at Deekthan, in Dhar district.

On March 5, the mahapanchayat will be organised at Badnagar and Shajapur. The first phase of the mahapanchayat will end at Berasia in the evening on March 6, before which it will also be organised at Shyampur at noon.

Farmers will be told about the impact of new agricultural laws during the programmes. Singh said that he had spoken to representatives of most of the political parties, such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Shiv Sena, Communist Party of India (CPI), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and so forth and they had agreed to support the cause.

“The mahapanchayat movement is totally non-political. No party representative will come with their flags. Only National Flag will be hoisted at the protest venue. There will be no welcome garlanding, no tents, no stage. Tractor trolleys will be turned into a stage,” said Singh. The mahapanchayats would begin with a Ram Dhun, he added.

Congress-ruled states had decided to hold a special Assembly session to discuss the farmers’ issue, said Singh. They would also propose a statutory body, such as Kisan Ayog, to deal with farm-related issues.