Modi govt. implementing policies to hand over agri sector to corporates: Brinda Karat
HYDERABAD CPI (M) senior leader Brinda Karat has charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central Government with implementing policies designed to hand over the country’s agricultural sector to domestic and foreign corporate entities and agri-business giants. “The Modi government is weakening the Constitution, constitutional institutions and core values such as secularism, justice and equality, as it is entirely rooted in the BJP-RSS ideology,” she said and questioned whether the Central Government ever consulted farmers before signing the agreement with the United States, which is set to have a severe impact on various sections of the farming community.
She was addressing a meeting at the 36th All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) in Nalgonda on Sunday. Ms. Karat lamented that prices of essential commodities were skyrocketing, as could be seen from the doubling of costs of rice, pulses, edible oils and vegetables. The Modi Government was attempting to evade accountability by citing the ongoing war as the reason for the crisis. “But why did Modi join hands with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu — a man responsible for the carnage in Gaza and the initial attack on Iran?” she asked.
Millions of hectares of cultivable land were being acquired in the name of projects and development initiatives. Farmers were being forcibly displaced from their own land and were even being denied the compensation they were entitled to under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. Indigenous Adivasi communities are the ones suffering the most due to these land acquisitions and the resulting displacement, she said.
“If you truly value the Constitution, you must ensure the immediate and effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Telangana,” she said, adding that the forced eviction of Adivasis from their lands must stop. They should no longer be treated as ‘encroachers’. She recalled that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the Congress party had declared that they would fight to protect democracy and the Constitution.
“We urge you to take a stand against the disenfranchisement of voters — whether in Telangana or in Delhi,” she said.
