All India Kisan Sabha, Maharashtra: AIKS Condemns the Arrest of Kisan Sabha Leaders in Rajasthan

Thursday, February 22, 2018

AIKS Condemns the Arrest of Kisan Sabha Leaders in Rajasthan

AIKS Leaders Amra Ram, Hetram Beniwal, Sheopat Meghwal and Others Arrested

Repression Cannot Deter Kisan Mahapadav; The Protest Will Go On!!

All India Kisan Sabha condemns the repression unleashed by the Vasundhara Raje led BJP Government in Rajasthan on the peasant movement in the State and the arrest of AIKS Vice President Com.Amra Ram, veteran leader Com.Hetram Beniwal, Com.Shyopat Meghwal and many others. Arrests are being reported from different parts of the State. AIKS demands the immediate release of all arrested leaders and activists. The discredited BJP Government is only exposing its fear of the Kisan mobilisation by this act. Democratic protests cannot be stifled by repressive measures. We warn the BJP Government in Rajasthan that this move will be countered by massive mobilisation and the movement will go on until the anti-peasant, anti-worker and anti-poor Vasundhara Raje regime is defeated.

It is to be noted that the BJP Government after the historic struggle of the peasantry under the leadership of the Kisan Sabha was forced to agree upon all the demands including loan waiver and remunerative prices, procurement, pension and other matters. However, the BJP Government went back on the agreement and betrayed the peasantry. Against the betrayal the Kisan Sabha has been amidst the peasantry mobilising for an indefinite Mahapadav at Jaipur from 22nd February, 2018 onwards. Kisans from across the State were marching towards Jaipur and the paranoid BJP Government has resorted to the cowardly move of arresting the AIKS leaders and Kisans. However, thousands of Kisans are on the move and will reach Jaipur on 22nd February defying threats and intimidation from the BJP Government and RSS goons. Kisan Sabha is an organisation that has emerged through struggles and advanced despite all kinds of attacks and repression. Such attacks and arrests are not going to deter us from struggles. Our struggle on genuine demands of the peasantry shall continue come what may. AIKS President Ashok Dhawale and Joint Secretary Vijoo Krishnan will take part in the Mahapadav in solidarity with the Kisans and agricultural workers of Rajasthan.

Signed :-

Ashok Dhawale, President

Hannan Mollah, General Secretary

February 20, 2018

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About Us

All India Kisan Sabha (अखिल भारतीय किसान सभा; AIKS), is the largest national organisation representing peasants in India, with a membership of 2,25,81,308 (22.58 million). The AIKS, which was formed at its first conference on April 11, 1936 at Lucknow, has a glorious 75-year history. It played a stellar role in arousing the peasantry against British imperialism in the movement for national freedom. It was able to unite various sections of the peasantry in the struggle against feudalism, big traders and monopolists. The AIKS led historic peasant struggles in Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, Tebhaga in West Bengal, Punnapra-Vayalar and North Malabar in Kerala, Surma Valley in Assam and tribal movements in Tripura and Maharashtra.

In the period after independence, it has continued to organise peasants against the anti-peasant policies of the government. These policies have acquired a particularly disastrous nature during the last two decades of neo-liberalism, leading to suicides of over 2.5 lakh debt-ridden peasants in the last 15 years. The strong peasant movement built by the AIKS has contributed to the formation of the Left-led state governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

The AIKS believes that a powerful agrarian movement has to be built on alternative policies centred on the interests of the poor peasants and agricultural workers, both of whom constitute the overwhelming majority of the Indian peasantry. The AIKS is clear that only a thoroughgoing agrarian revolution can truly solve the deep and growing crisis in Indian agriculture.

Some of the towering peasant leaders of the AIKS have been Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Muzaffar Ahmad, P Sundarayya, A K Gopalan, E M S Namboodiripad, M Basavapunnaiah, Hare Hrishna Konar, Benoy Krishna Choudhary, Dasharath Deb, M A Rasul, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Godavari Parulekar and Krantisimha Nana Patil.

This blog is managed by the Maharashtra State Committee of the AIKS. The Maharashtra State Committee functions out of Janashakti, P.B.Marg, Worli, Mumbai-400013; Phone: +91-22-24951576.