Jammu, Nov 26: Workers and farmers in Jammu gathered for a one-day demonstration near the Maharaja Hari Singh Statue here on a joint call by Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) for a nationwide protest.
Organised by the Jammu & Kashmir CITU, J&K Kisan Tehrik, and other CTUs, the protest saw a large turnout of workers and farmers from various organisations holding placards and shouting slogans against the government’s policies, which they deemed “anti-worker” and “anti-farmer”. They also rallied in support of their demands.
Addressing the gathering, Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, MLA and president of the State Committee of CITU, expressed concern over the ongoing crisis faced by the working people of India due to the government’s policies. He said the cost of cultivation and inflation are rising by 12-15% annually, while the government is increasing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by only 2-7%. He criticised the government’s decision to raise the national paddy MSP by just 5.35% to Rs 2,300 per quintal for 2024-25, without implementing the C2+50% formula.
Tarigami also highlighted the government’s “failure” to procure last year’s crop through the APMC, leaving farmers with no choice but to protest for their meager MSP, APMC markets, Food Corporation of India (FCI) storage, and Public Distribution System (PDS) supply.
The MLA Kulgam further criticised the government’s push for digitisation of land and crops through the Digital Agriculture Mission, and its promotion of contract farming. He expressed concerns about the National Cooperation Policy, which he claimed aims to take over post-harvest operations and divert cooperative sector credit to corporate entities. “Several agreements between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and multinational corporations (MNCs) have been signed, and key infrastructure such as FCI storage, Central Warehouse Corporation and APMC market yards are being rented out to corporate giants like Adani and Ambani,” he claimed.
The CITU leader warned that this perpetual deficit in farming is leading to higher debt and land evictions and forcing rural youth to migrate to urban areas.
On the issue of labour rights, Tarigami criticised the four labour codes being imposed by the central government, which he said “effectively” nullify guarantees on minimum wages, secure employment, social security, proper working hours and the right to unionize. “The policies of privatisation, contractualisation and lack of recruitment are pushing workers and job-seeking youth into virtual slavery. The trade unions are also struggling to protect basic rights, including the right to form unions, the revival of the Old Pension Scheme, retirement benefits, food and health security, and effective legal mechanisms for addressing grievances,” he said.
