The Left parties in Manipur viz. CPI, CPI(M), AIFB and RSP met today at Irawat Bhawan, BT Road, Imphal strongly condemn the manner in which all parliamentary procedures and norms have been thrown to the winds by this BJP government for bulldozing legislations mortgaging Indian agriculture. Such destruction of parliamentary democracy displays fascistic portends and the same was done in Manipur while discussing the vote of confidence moved by the Biren government. If by suspending 8 opposition MPs, including two left MP(RS) from parliament for a week who demanded division and voting, the BJP government thinks it will silence the opposition, it shall not.

The NDA, led by the right wing BJP, is a divided coalition now that Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing has resigned from the Narendra Modi Cabinet. She said ” I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister.”

The mainstream Left parties reiterate their commitment to safeguarding Indian Parliament, Indian Constitution and our secular democratic republic. The Left parties call upon the people to rise in protest against such assaults being mounted against our constitutional republic.

These legislations, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion of Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill will destroy Indian agriculture and our farmers. This handover of the entire sector to agribusiness corporates will lead to the abolishing of minimum support price to the farmers, the complete destruction of the public distribution system, promote unscrupulous traders and giant corporations to hoard food, thus artificially creating food scarcity, sending prices up astronomically. These legislations severely threaten India’s food security.

The Left parties call upon all their units all across Manipur to extend full support and solidarity to the call given by the All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee, which is a conglomeration of farmers and peasants organisations in the country for countrywide protests on September 25 demanding the withdrawal of these legislations.

The Left parties call upon all their lower units to draw programmes of protest actions at their level in consultation with other political parties and peasants and farmers organisations to force the central government to withdraw these legislations in the interest of the rural masses

This joint press statement is issued by the Manipur State units of the CPI, CPI(M), AIFB, RSP.  These are stated by Kshetrimayum Santa, Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist); L Sotin, Secretary, Communist Party of India; Kh. Gyaneshwar Secretary, All India Forward Bloc; N Ratan, Secretary, Revolutionary Socialist Party