People's Democracy

Peasants’ Bodies Demand Pre-Budget Consultations

VARIOUS organisations representing peasants and agricultural labourers have come together to demand that the union finance minister P Chidambaram call a meeting of these organisations to take their inputs for the union budget 2005-06 before its final preparation. They said it was necessary to ascertain the opinion of the majority of India’s people who live in the villages and take into account their concerns while framing the budget.

This demand emanated from a meeting held at 4, Ashoka Road, New Delhi on January 17. It was attended by Atul Kumar Anjan (general secretary, AIKS Ajoy Bhawan), N K Shukla (joint secretary, AIKS, 4 Ashoka Road), Abani Roy, MP (secretary, SKS), V S Nirmal (secretary, BKMU), Anuj Kumar Basu (secretary, AIAKS) and Suneet Chopra (joint secretary, AIAWU).

In a statement issued after the meeting, these organisations expressed resentment that the finance minister, while stating that he was consulting the peasant organisations in pre-budget discussions, consulted only representatives of banks and agri-businesses. They were critical of the fact that the minister seemed to be subscribing to anti-rural policies like doing away with subsidies and minimum support prices.

Apart from these, they stated, the issue of patents on seeds and medicines, and that of the government’s watered down bill on employment guarantee, are all matters exercising the minds of peasants and agricultural labourers, and need proper discussion. (INN)