Daughter. On Monday, May 25, as part of a statewide call, the anger of farmers, farm laborers and youth came out on the streets. A huge protest march was taken out at West Champaran district headquarters under the joint banner of Bihar State Kisan Sabha, Bihar State Farm Workers Union and All India Youth Federation. The demonstration started from Baliram Bhawan in Bettiah, where a large number of farmers, labourers, youth and social workers gathered. With flags and banners in their hands and anti-government slogans, the protesters passed through the main roads of the city and reached the District Collectorate gate, where the demonstration turned into a huge gathering.
During the demonstration, farmers and laborers raised their voice against the policies of the government. The protesters said that the ever-increasing inflation, unemployment, corruption and poor condition of farmers have made life difficult for the common people. Farmers raised the demand for waiving off all types of agricultural loans, ensuring remunerative prices for crops and starting government procurement of wheat immediately. The protesters said that farmers are going through economic crisis due to not getting fair price for their inputs and the government is ignoring them instead of solving their problems.
The youth present in the meeting also expressed strong anger over the incidents of leaking of question papers of competitive examinations. Speakers said that due to continuous paper leaking, the future of the youth is going into darkness and the government is proving to be a complete failure in stopping it. Besides, the demand for controlling unemployment and arranging permanent employment for the youth was also raised strongly.
The protesters also surrounded the government regarding the MNREGA scheme. He said that workers’ rights are being weakened by continuous changes in MNREGA. He demanded 200 days of work in a year and respectable wages. The uprooting of the poor and laborers without making alternative arrangements was also opposed. The protesters demanded a ban on the action of removing small shopkeepers who run their families through street vendors, saying that the government is bulldozing the employment of the poor.
The demand for giving ownership rights to the people who have been living on the land of Bettiah Raj for years and declaring January 2024 as the cut off date for this also came up prominently. Farmers protested against the acquisition of agricultural land in the name of railways, roads and other government projects, saying that if the land is taken, farmers should be compensated four times the market price.
There was a strong voice in the protest regarding education and railway facilities also. The protesters demanded opening of degree colleges in all the block headquarters and running of two pairs of new trains from Narkatiaganj to Patliputra. The people participating in the protest also raised slogans against increasing crime, women’s safety and anti-people policies of the government.
Addressing the meeting, many leaders including District Kisan Sabha Secretary Radhamohan Yadav, President Ashok Mishra, Farm Labor Union leaders Subodh Mukhiya, Rajendra Sah, Veeran Yadav, Achhe Lal Sahni, Youth Union leaders Tariq Anwar, Idu Ansari, Om Prakash, Manoj Sah, AITUC in-charge Om Prakash Kranti, farmer leaders Tarakeshwar Sahni and Mohan Yadav made a scathing attack on the central and state governments. Speakers said that politics of hatred is being promoted in the country and state, while the real issues of farmers, laborers and youth are being suppressed. The leaders called for ending the bulldozer rule and implementing policies in public interest. This demonstration in Bettiah clearly indicated that dissatisfaction against the government is continuously increasing among farmers, laborers and youth. The large crowd gathered and loud slogans attracted the attention of both the administration and the government.
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