EFFIGIES OF PM AND DONALD TRUMP BURNT

EFFIGIES OF PM AND DONALD TRUMP BURNT

24-JULY-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

SASARAM-------------------------At the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, effigies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump were burned at major intersections in district and block headquarters across the country. An effigy burning also took place at the Post Office intersection in Sasaram, led by Ashok Baitha, the Bihar State Secretary of the All India Khet-Mazdoor Kisan Sabha. During the event, demands were raised to stop police repression against students on hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar; halt the commercialization of education; stop handing over agriculture to corporations; reject corporate policies; waive all farmers' loans; scrap the Electricity Bill 2020; withdraw all cases filed against farmers; enact a law guaranteeing profitable prices for agricultural produce; and implement a law guaranteeing MSP (Minimum Support Price). Ashok Baitha stated that ruling-class parties across the country are consistently enacting laws detrimental to farmers and laborers. He noted that the process of selling off the country began with the passing of bills for the New Economic Policy and the World Trade Agreement in 1992; furthermore, under the guise of new agricultural, educational, and economic policies, democratic rights are being gradually eroded, and control is being handed over to domestic and foreign capitalists. Several other allegations were also leveled against the central government.

Hundreds of activists participated in the program, including Ayodhya Ram and Bhagat Singh (constituent organizations); Rahul Samrat (State Committee member, Chhatra Naujawan Sabha); Sattar Ansari, Madan Kishore Singh, Bhim Singh, and Ram Raj (Bihar State Kisan Sabha); Jawahar Singh and Jai Vijay Tiwari (Kisan Mahasabha); Nath Yadav, Shambhu Nath Pandey, Raju Gupta, Shyam Sundar Pal, Sonu Dabang, Kanhaiya Ram, Mangal Pandey, Sunil Paswan, Arun Paswan, Rajesh Mahto, Virendra Sah, Ram Sakal Paswan, Bhola Seth, Ramji Chauhan, Manoj Ram, Ajmal Ansari, Anil Gupta, and Harikant Mahto (Jai Jawan Jai Kisan).