Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress holds protest

Hundreds of workers affiliated to the Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress (KKMC) held a protest here on Wednesday against the BJP government's "anti-farmer policies". The KKMC, farmers' wing of Congress party, conducted farmer marches at several places across the country from January 25, which culminated at Kisan Ghat in the national capital on Wednesday.

Addressing the gathering, KKMC chairman and ex Member of Parliament Nana Patole said the government waived off loans to the tune of Rs 3.5 lakh crore taken by select 15 industrialists but it did not have Rs 1.5 lakh crore for farmers. "The new Congress governments in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have waived off farm loans. We will not sit idle until the BJP government announces loan waivers for farmers across the country," he said.

"There is rural distress in the country due to the anti-farmer policies of the BJP government." He said farmers will decide who comes to power in 2019, adding that the Congress president Rahul Gandhi would be the next Prime Minister of the country.

Patole took a dig at Central farm schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, saying these did not help farmers but led to financial losses for them. Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, he appealed to farmers to restrict to non-violent ways while protesting against the Centre.

Among the protesting farmers was Rajesh Kumar from Agra, who complained of low income due to poor crop prices. "I invested around Rs 12-13 per kilogramme of potato I cultivated. However, the prices in the market are between Rs 4-10 per kilogramme. We are incurring huge losses. The government should provide us assistance," he said.