Statement
by the leader of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)


In the history of mankind, this is for the first time that the peasants from all over the world are involved in a movement under one banner. This the beginning of a golden era for raising the universal issues and interests of farmers. The issues facing all the farmers world over are being taken up seriously.

We want to place the problems of the farmers before the world public opinion. The process of liberalisation which is gaining ground throughout the world and stands for economic growth and for the welfare of the masses has begun to show the real consequences of the policy of liberalisation in the wrong direction, where the world poor are placed between the devil and the deep blue sea and inequality has started spreading its bloody wings of economic exploitation country-wise, class-wise and profession-wise.

The majority is losing its grip over the means of livelihood and barring big fish and whales, all are facing the worst consequences economically, socially and environmentally. It is also strengthening the forces of armaments and militarism, snatching the sovereign rights to live culturally and independently.

It is beyond doubt that the policy of liberalisation and globalisation, economic reforms and forces to open markets are being followed by the capitalist order of the rich nations. A few people are gathering money overnight at the cost of this whole world.

My words bear testimony with the 98 United Nations report which indicates the state of development of the world. Twenty percent rich nations spend as muchon their luxuries as the rest of 80 percent spend on health, nutrition and education of their population.

The Human Development Index of India indicates its place in the last of the total of 174 member countries of the UN. Since the policy of liberalisation, India is going down and down in the matter of development. The fruits of the rising production are being pocketed entirely by the richer nations.

The government of India has got the patents bill of 1999 passed by the two houses of parliament. Earlier, the Indian government had moved the Patents Amendment Ordinance 1999. The Patent Act gives monopolistic rights to the manufacturer of a product and its exclusive marketing rights.

The patent rights of Basmati rice have been surrendered to the Ricetek corporation in Texas State. Now the exporters of Indian Basmati rice are the victims of legal action by Ricetek. In fact, India exports 4.5 million tons of Basmati rice abroad every year. Surely it earns foreign exchange equal to 12 billion rupees.

On 23rd Nov. 1999, the Indian government, acting under the presure of the MNCs, handed over the exclusive rights to thesecorporations despite no compulsion by the WTO. Such measures once given to these MNCs shall dprive the Indian farmers from the remunerative prices of their agricultural products.

Similarily, the US-American giant Monsanto is pursuing a verydestructive policy of growing terminator cotton seed which will adversely affect the life of the friendly insects of the farmland. The Bhartiya Kisan leader Chandhery Mahendra S. Tikait has thus involved the farmers of North India to protest against the wrong policies followed by the MNCs, FAO and the rich nations controlling the purse of the World Bank and the IMF.