Farmers hold protests in Chhatisgarh against farm sector bills

Despite lockdown in several districts of Chhattisgarh, farmers staged demonstrations outside their houses and agriculture lands in various villages and towns of the state on Friday as a part of the 'bandh' call given to protest three farm sector bills.Farmers under the aegis of 25 unions, including Chhattisgarh Kisaan Majdoor Mahasangh (CKMM), held protests in over 100 villages and towns demanding that the three bills recently passed by the Parliament be withdrawn, said Sanket Thakur, a member of the CKMM's conveners board.

"In view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown effective in most of the districts, the demonstration was not held in public places and cultivators were seen raising slogans in front of their houses and farm lands against the anti-farmer policies of the Centre," he said.

The implementation of three bills would result in exploitation of farmers at the hands of corporate houses and push farmers to economic slavery, Thakur alleged.

We demanded immediate withdrawal of the three bills- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020,he said. Legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) for crops and enactment of a law to sell crops within and outside mandis on MSP are some other demands, he said.

In Raipur district, demonstrations were held in Bhilai, Bhalera, Paraskol, Khauli villages in Aarang development block. The protesters followed social distancing norms and other COVID-19 preventive protocols, he said.

Rajnandgaon, Durg, Bemetara, Kanker, Dhamtari and Bilaspur were among districts where protests were held, he added.