Thousands of farmers from across the country, led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), staged a protest at Ramlila Maidan here on Monday, demanding, among others, a legal guarantee on MSP on their crops and withdrawal of cases against farmers. Farmers from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab staged a four-hour demonstration and said that they will hold a bigger protest than the protest at the Capital's borders in 2020-21 and block all borders leading to Delhi unless their demands are met. The SKM, an umbrella organisation of several farmers' organisations, also protested against the committee constituted by the Centre on MSP and stated that the panel's “agenda” is "contrary to demands of farmers". Hardev Singh Brar, 57, from Punjab's Faridkot, said they want a law on minimum support price (MSP) on their crops, as farmers like him are suffering in the absence of such a law. “I, along with other farmers, sat at the Tikri border (of Delhi) for a year due to which the government took back the three farm laws.. Now, among others, we are demanding a legal guarantee on MSP on crops, compensation to families of farmers who died during the protest, and waiver of debt burdening all farmers," Brar said. Shakthivel, a farmer from Tamil Nadu, said farmers earn a profit of only Rs 2 or Rs 3 on each kilogramme of onion they sell. “Several farmers are bearing a heavy financial loss, as they have to take loans for input costs involving fertiliser and disinfectants but don't get the due price for their crops. As a result, they fall into debt,” he said. Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan founder Medha Patkar, who also joined the protest, said it is shocking that farmers don't have any provision for pension, unlike government employees. “Several farmers lost their lives while protesting against the three farm laws.recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission should be implemented and a law on MSP should be brought in," Patkar said. Darshan Singh, a farmer from Sangrur, said, “The committee should be dismissed and a new committee on MSP should be formed where farmers should be given due representation.the members should include representatives of SKM.” Suman Yadav from Lucknow said, “This fight has now been on for years but nothing has changed.you are seeing farmers who have left their homes and come a long way here to protest for their rights. We will fight against this until the government accepts all our demands.”
