A joint platform of ten central trade unions has pledged its support to the protests being held across the country by farmers opposed to the three agriculture-related Bills in Paliament.

The joint platform of Central Trade Unions and sectoral federations said it would join the nationwide protests announced by about 200 farmers’ organisations under the banner of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.

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“We also join them in protesting against the disastrous Electricity Amendment Bill,” a statement by the trade unions said.

The statement alleged that the “anti-farmer, anti-people” move of the Centre has been initiated by the three Ordinances aimed at restructuring the management of the agricultural economy in favour of a “nexus” between big landlords and corporates and multinational trading “cliques”..

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“They virtually kill the rights and entitlements of the agricultural population. The Essential Commodities Act and related anti-hoarding, anti-black-marketing regulations are going to be curbed. The virtual withdrawal of Government’s role in ensuring fair and remunerative prices for farmers’ produce will pave the way for ultimate(ly) doing away with Government procurement of agricultural produce with minimum support price. In totality, peasant agriculture will be totally ruined, on which survival of more than sixty per cent (of the) population is dependent,” the statement said.

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The measures prescribed in the Bills “recklessly promote contract farming at terms and prices dictated by big landlord-corporate nexus including foreign trading cliques, who would usurp monopoly power,” the statement added.

“The non-agricultural population will also be severely affected and put in miseries since the food security of the country is going to be endangered under new dispensations. The new measures are also aimed to facilitate profiteering by big players like Adani, Wilmar, Reliance, Walmart, Birla, ITC etc and also the large trading companies, both foreign and domestic,” the CTUs said.

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The Bills are “patently unconstitutional” as they “encroach upon State subject, destroying federalism” in the process, the statement said, and added that there are no other options before workers and peasants than to hold nationwide protests.

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