Promotion of Walmart by UP Government is Anti-Peasant, Unpatriotic

The UP government’s invitation to the MNCs along with Adani’s, Reliance, Patanjali, domestic allies and props of foreign exploiters will ruin peasants and rural India. Their claim of 81 projects worth Rs. 61,000 crores will generate 2.12 lakh jobs is a hoax, as acquisition of land for these projects will uproot hundreds of villagers and deprive lakhs of families of their meagre means of survival. A report, for Different Truths.

The UP State Executive Committee of AIKMS has criticised the development paradigm of UP government as anti-farmer and demanded its complete roll back. The UP government’s invitation to the MNCs along with Adani’s, Reliance, Patanjali, domestic allies and props of foreign exploiters will ruin peasants and rural India. Their claim of 81 projects worth Rs. 61,000 crores will generate 2.12 lakh jobs is a hoax, as acquisition of land for these projects will uproot hundreds of villagers and deprive lakhs of families of their meagre means of survival, according to a media release.

The meeting held in Ghoorpur recently was attended by hundreds of activists and addressed by UP President Dharampal Singh Chauhan, UP GS Heeralal and Allahabad President Ram Kailash Kushwaha.

Com Dharampal said that the ‘Hindutva’ forces are becoming the main vehicle for the US multinational giant ‘Walmart’, though before the elections these ‘Ram Bhakts’ were opposing Walmart and FDI in the retail sector. Walmart, he said, is infamous for ruining lacks of small farmers, small producers and small shopkeepers all over the world as well as in the USA. It will set up more than 15 cash and carry stores, supply inputs to farmers, mortgage land and buy out the produce at dirt cheap rates. To help these companies to make profit Modi and Yogi Government’s plan to pool land of small peasants to introduce ‘cluster farming’ and promote crops necessary for these ‘value added chain’ companies. Value will be added to the ‘investor’ company at the cost of Indian peasants. It will ensure dedicated crop production to supply inputs to the company, which buy at low rates, being the main buyer and ruin the farmers. Pepsi, Nestle and several others have already given a very raw deal to tomato, potato, flower and fruit farmers. He said that the plan for food processing sector getting 17% of the total investments will ruin subsistence farming and local food manufactories, it was informed.

Ram Kailash said that in the ‘Investors Summit’ held in Lucknow, the government had announced several sops like all investors bringing more than 300 crores will be given 10 to 15% grant by the UP government to purchase land, a 70% to 90% reduction in GST, low interest rate loans with a 5% grant in payment of interest, cheap and assured electricity, free water from Yamuna for power projects and other infrastructure at government cost. If half of this help is given to the native peasants and entrepreneurs the problem of unemployment in India will be almost solved, their income will rise and help to prop up the sick markets and industry. But the government wants to ruin the peasants, uproot them and force them to do cheap labour in foreign led industries.

Comrade Heera Lal said that this ruin is being enacted under the broad banner of religious ‘Desh Bhakti’ so that its credentials are not questioned. UP CM Yogi is boasting of better performance than the SP in selling off peoples’ assets and interests to the corporate, exposing comprador character of both.

He informed that yesterday AIKSCC leader and MP Raju Shetty presented two bills in the Lok Sabha and struggle is on for a special session of the parliament to pass these two bills. The August 9, Quit India anniversary shall be observed as ‘Anti-MNC and Anti-Dalal Day’ by AIKMS. He said the peasant movement is demanding complete loan waiver, decrease in input costs of diesel, seeds, machinery, fertilizer, insecticides, irrigation, electricity and assured procurement at MSP rate which should be 1.5 times the cost of production, the release stated.