Opposition unity meet tomorrow on farm distress

NEW DELHI: As part of their ongoing unity efforts, several opposition parties are expected come together to discuss agrarian issues at a meeting called by a federation of farmer organisations here on Wednesday.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), an umbrella body of farmer groups that is hosting the meeting, wants the central government to announce a nation-wide debt waiver scheme for farmers and enhance and guarantee minimum price for their produce.

Members of the committee have already met senior opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar and Sharad Yadav, and sent invitations to several other leaders, people familiar with the matter told ET. The meeting is slated to propose and discuss two model Bills: The Farmers’ Right to Freedom from Indebtedness Bill and the Farmers’ Right to Guaranteed Remunerative MSP for Agricultural Commodities Bill.


This follows the unprecedented mobilisation of farmers in Maharashtra recently that led the state government to concede to their major demands.