Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, which is an ally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, will take out a morcha at the Reliance Industries’ office on December 22. SSS founder Raju Shetti, who has extended support to the agitating farmers gathered at the Delhi borders, alleged that the Centre had enacted the three farm laws for the benefit of industry magnets, including RIL CMD Mukesh Ambani.
“A morcha is being organised from Bandra suburban district collector’s office to the RIL’s office at the Bandra Kurla Complex on December 22. Minister of state Bachhu Kadu and veteran trade union leader Baba Adhav will participate in the morcha. I have appealed to the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) founder Prakash Ambedkar to join the morcha,” said Shetti, who has returned from Delhi after participating in the ongoing protests against the farm laws.
Shetti led a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre, saying that it was imposing these three farm laws on farmers instead of assuring the minimum support price for the agricultural produce. “Ensure minimum support price to farmers instead of imposing farm laws,” said Shetti. He added that various farmer organisations in Maharashtra are together against the three farm laws.
Shetti argued that there is no clarity of the payment of minimum support price to the farmers. As per the provisions of the new laws, farmers will have to sell the agricultural produce to a private buyer, who may pay them a lower price. Moreover, there is no minimum support price in the deal. If a farmer is cheated, he cannot argue his case in the district magistrate’s court.
Shetti made a strong case for making MSP payment mandatory by private buyers to farmers. He suggested that the Contract Farming laws should protect the interest of farmers and not of the private contractors.
