The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) strongly condemns the authoritarian stance of the Modi government subverting all democratic norms to rush the passing of three anti-farmer bills and Electricity Act amendments in the Parliament. All Parliamentary procedures of proper discussions were thrown to the wind.
AIDWA fully supports the call of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee for countrywide protests on September 25. It also supports the bandh call in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP government has hurriedly got these bills passed to benefit the corporate and big agri-business sector. The doing away with MSP will leave farmers at the mercy of the big business sharks leading to further pauperization of the rural masses. Corporate contract forming will lead to intensification of exploitation of the poor in the agricultural sector, especially women who form a large part of the rural working force.
Food items like cereals, pulses, edible oils, oilseeds, onion and potatoes have been removed from the list of essential commodities. Doing away with these items in the amendments to the Essential Commodities Act will adversely affect the food security of a large majority of the poor, especially women. Hoarding and black marketing will henceforth not be considered a crime. With reports of an already starving population in the rural areas, this will lead to a hunger pandemic in the country.
The BJP-RSS government is least concerned about the distress caused to farmers due to the pandemic and lockdown. It is obvious that it is more interested in helping its capitalist friends and election funders like Ambani, Adani, Birla, ITC, etc.
AIDWA calls upon all its units and like-minded women’s organisations to actively participate in the protests and express solidarity with the farmers’ struggles.
