Farmers begin Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir march, seek MSP law

From the windswept shores of Kanniyakumari, where the land meets the sea, a nationwide farmers’ march set out on Saturday, carrying with it the voices of cultivators from across India and a renewed call for economic justice. Agricultural leaders and farmer representatives gathered at the country’s southern tip to launch the long march to Kashmir, seeking urgent reforms and stronger legal protections for those who till the land.

Organised under the leadership of Jagjit Singh Dallewal, national coordinator of the United Farmers’ Front (non-political), the march aims to spotlight what organisers describe as a deepening agrarian crisis and the Union government’s failure to address long-pending demands of farmers.

Farmer representatives from Tamil Nadu, joined by delegations from several states, flagged off the padyatra amid slogans and speeches demanding a legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for farm produce. Prominent among those present were P.R. Pandian, president of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers' Associations Coordination Committee, A. Vins Anto of the Kodhayar Irrigation Committee, and a host of farmer leaders and activists.

Addressing the media ahead of the march, Pandian criticised the Centre for refusing a nationwide farm loan waiver and for failing to ensure remunerative prices for crops. He said mounting debt continues to push farmers into distress, with suicides remaining a grim reality in several parts of the country.

The marchers are pressing for the enactment of a nationwide MSP law, the implementation of the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee to boost farm incomes and sustainability, and the scrapping of the Electricity Regulatory Commission Act, which they allege threatens the provision of free power to farmers. A complete waiver of farm loans also figures prominently in their charter of demands.

The padyatra will wind its way through multiple states, drawing in farmers’ organisations and supporters along the route. It is scheduled to culminate in a massive rally at Ram Leela Maidan in New Delhi on 19 March, where organisers expect lakhs of farmers from across the country to assemble in a show of national solidarity.

Organisers said representatives from all states would continue the journey beyond Delhi, all the way to Kashmir, to underline the pan-Indian character of the movement. The delegation has also sought an appointment with Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin and is hopeful of meeting him on 9 February to present its memorandum of demands.

With IANS inputs