Video summary
The National Convention of Farmers and Workers, organized by ten central trade unions and United Kisan Morcha at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, marks a significant reunion for these groups since 2023. This gathering brings together leadership from national, state, and district levels to discuss strategies for advancing their joint movement, explicitly excluding the general public or common workers who did not attend. The primary objective is to address shared grievances against what organizers describe as corporate-communal rule by the BJP and RSS regimes, which they argue have failed to implement promises made after repealing three agricultural laws while simultaneously passing four new labor codes that threaten permanent jobs, workplace safety, union rights, and minimum wages.
Leaders at the convention highlighted severe economic hardships facing both sectors, noting that despite a written agreement regarding Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and other demands from 2021, not a single promise has been fulfilled in five years except for the repeal of those specific laws. Farmers face escalating debt, with loans increasing tenfold since 2013 while crop insurance schemes are criticized as ineffective hoaxes that deny claims even after premiums are paid. Additionally, anti-farmer policies such as controversial seed bills and electricity acts designed to strip subsidies have pushed many into despair, particularly in drought-prone regions like Punjab where temperatures drop drastically yet agricultural conditions worsen due to trade deals with America that favor foreign farmers receiving massive subsidies over local producers.
The convention emphasizes the historical strength of farmers and laborers, noting that many workers originate from villages themselves, making their alliance a formidable force against pro-corporate policies. Organizers point out that while previous movements in Delhi's National Capital Region regarding wages have emerged as welcome signs, the current government ignores these struggles, believing hard work alone will suffice without political action or protest. The leaders expressed deep frustration over unfulfilled salary promises and the lack of listening from both state and central governments, urging a continuation of intensified struggle to prevent further exploitation and ensure that neither the Delhi nor Central Government can suppress their demands unnoticed.
Ultimately, this joint platform aims to reignite hope by drawing parallels between past student movements that energized farmers during the 13-month protest period and the current potential for unity against oppressive governance. The leaders concluded that people must realize they have the power to bring stubborn governments to their knees through collective action rather than relying on empty promises or silent endurance. By uniting these two critical classes of society, the convention seeks to create a massive movement capable of challenging the existing regime and securing justice for farmers facing debt traps and laborers facing job insecurity in an increasingly hostile economic environment.
Read the full video transcript
Hello, welcome to the news team. Currently present
at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi
where a joint conference of farmers and laborers is going on. This
convention is being held again for the
first time since 2023. In which farmers and
laborers have united jointly.
Through this convention, they are discussing
how to take forward the joint movement of both farmers and laborers.
This
means that the general public or common
workers did not come to this convention. Within this convention, the
leadership of the nation, state and district level is present. In a way,
through this convention and through this convention, there
is a common demand of the farmers. Be it the
question of Labour Court, MSP
or free deal. What
questions are being discussed?
We have talked to the leaders present behind.
What is its message for the governments and
what do you see as the way forward for this convention
and how will the struggle between the two organizations and both the classes move forward after the convention.
This convention
today is the National Convention of Farmers and
Workers, which is a
big joint platform of workers and farmers, the
platform of 10 central trade unions and the
United Kisan Morcha, they have jointly
organised this convention.
For example, everyone in this country, even every child,
knows that for the historic farmers' movement that took place
in 2021, a written agreement was made
regarding the minimum support price and
their other separate demands,
electricity bills, on all these
issues, they made a written agreement,
but even after 5 years,
not a single thing from those has been implemented except the
withdrawal of those three agricultural laws. So, in the same
situation and in the midst of that, by
raising the flag of democracy and playing political games in different states,
establishing their power,
this BJP, this RSS,
this corporate communal rule is going on, and through that
rule, they
passed four labor codes against the workers of the country and
recently,
after the Bengal elections, its rules were also
notified. This means that no
demands of the farmers were accepted. Is it the minimum support price
or law and labour or anything else and on top of that the
labourers are helpless, permanent jobs were
not abolished anyway, so that is to be
abolished completely legally and the
safety at the work place is to be abolished and
along with that the right to form a union is to be
abolished and eight this
minimum wage will be impossible in future.
That law has also been passed in this manner.
Farmers and laborers are the biggest strength of this country.
Even in many labour organisations, the
people are from villages.
And what we are seeing is that this regime, the
RSS BJP regime, is pushing forward the pro-
corporate policy at the
pace at which it is doing so, so
this is a huge blow against it which
can create a movement against it. We have seen
in the past that there is a corporate attack on agriculture
and there is also a
corporate attack on the working class by four labour courts and in
that manner and we have also observed in the past
that in and around Delhi National Capital Region
and other places,
workers' movement has started emerging on the issue of wages
and this is a very welcome sign. The farmers'
movement, after getting the three farm laws repealed, there was an
upward trend of a period, which they
call it, it has passed,
sir, this is my request, C2 One Union C2 One
Sir, there is ₹7 Punjab Government, ₹33 Central
Government, so if anyone gives them DC rate, then the
salary should be given, they have
worked a lot, I am very troubled, the
government is not listening to anyone, this is the first
election, no one listened to anyone, we will
intensify the struggle, the struggle is going on in Punjab, today we will hold a
convention in Delhi, we should do it in such a way that even the
Delhi Government should not know, neither should the Central Government, they are doing it, I am
very troubled, the
government has made every labourer, any farmer,
my brother, why are they
not doing this by protesting, the government is thinking that the work,
hard work, hard work, they will get it,
this is the government, my Central Government, Punjab
Government, they promise that the salary should be given
DC rate, yes,
our area adjacent to Rajasthan,
Shivani is often hit by drought,
sometimes it is very cold too Yes, the
temperature goes down to minus and in the recent past, due to the
hoax of Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, the condition of the farmers has gone from
bad to worse. The farmers did not even receive the amount of premium
taken from them as claim.
And the condition of farmers today is that the
farmer who had a loan of ₹80,000 before 2013, today his loan has
gone up to ₹7 lakh. All the farmer's land and
houses are mortgaged and now this government is making a
trade deal with America which will
prove to be a death warrant for the farmers.
Farmers of America and farmers of big countries
get a subsidy of ₹90 lakh to ₹1 crore. If their mustard, their wheat, here
if I talk about mustard,
mustard grows in our area. Even if they
sell mustard in the market for Rs 4000, the farmers will still
save themselves. But
where will our farmers go? And those who are
bringing this seed bill. The Seed Bill will be a
death warrant for farmers. The Electricity Act Bill
is a conspiracy to rob the subsidy we receive. There are
many such policies being implemented in Haryana which are
anti-farmer and there is great anger among the people.
Farmers and labourers have
come together to Talkatora Stadium today and
you must have seen the
students' movement in the past and the
farmers' movement that went on for 13 months. In that too the farmers
won and got new energy from this student movement.
People are encouraged that this stubborn
government can be brought to its knees.