The second phase of Kisan Mukti Yatra concludes in Bangalore

The second phase of the Kisan Mukti Yatra concluded in Bengaluru on Saturday in the presence of thousands of farmers from different regions of the state. The Yatra started on September 16 and it was led by All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC). AIKSCC is a national platform where more than 150 various Kisan organizations work together for the rights of the farmers.

Raising the issues of farmers across the country, the second phase of Yatra covered the south Indian states including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Creating ripples across these states, AIKSCC leaders warned the Modi government against their farmer-unfriendly policies. The current government is the most anti-farmer government in independent India, the leaders noted.

The main demands of the Yatra included “minimum Support Price of 1.5 times production cost, farmers have a say in grain fixation price, crop insurance for all farmers, warehouse & cold storage in each Panchayat, irrigation facility to all and asked the Government to give ₹5000/- to all 60yrs and above age farmers.”

While addressing the huge gathering in Bengaluru, Vijoo Krishnan, Joint Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha, who is in the forefront of the Yatra, pointed out that a similar alliance to gain land rights of for the peasants was a huge success in the past. The current alliance would be more successful than its predecessor as it is expanding continuously, he added.

“Modi had said he cannot implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. Why did he promise to do so? Farmers will come together to say - keep your promise or leave," said BM Singh, the convenor of AIKSCC.

Yogendra Yadav, one of the leaders of the Yatra, also addressed the gathering in Bengaluru. "Every day, during the rally, we heard stories of grief. Some parts of Karnataka have been witnessing drought for third straight year in a row. Farmers have been cheated not only by nature - but by prices," said Yadav.

“Our next step is to take up such Yatras in other regions of the country too, after the Western and Southern region Kisan Mukti Yatras. The culmination of the Yatras would be in a Kisan Sansad in Delhi on November 20th, 2017 when the Winter Session of the Parliament begins,” said AIKSCC in a press release.

The first phase of Yatra which has started from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, on July 6 concluded in Jantar Mantar, Delhi, on July 18.

The schedule for the upcoming Kisan Mukti Yatras are as follows:

• Kisan Mukti yatra (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand (October 2 to 11)

• Kisan Mukti yatra (Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, South Bihar, West Bengal (October 29 to- November 5)

• Kisan Mukti yatra (Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, Jammu (To be announced)

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