Congress-backed farmers' group demands seats in local bodies

Kottayam (Kerala), Feb 10 : Even as Defence Minister A.K. Antony is preparing details of the formation of a new farmers' outfit at the national level, a farmers' organisation here, owing allegiance to the Congress party, has demanded that one seat be given to them in the forthcoming village council elections.
They have also demanded reservation

of jobs for the children of farmers.

The demands were made Tuesday at a meeting between the state's Agricultural Minister K.V. Thomas and the Kerala Pradesh Karshaka Congress (KPKC), a frontal organization of the state Congress party.

KPKC has an excellent network in l,068 village councils in the state, its president Lal Varughese Kalpakavadi told IANS.

"We are demanding a minimum of one seat in each of the village councils in the forthcoming local body elections. There are a number of schemes that are intended to facilitate farmers, but they never reach the farming sector due to the lack of timely intervention of farm sector leaders," said Kalpakavadi.

KPKC is holding its annual camp shortly and is to come out with a clear cut strategy because local body elections are due in September this year.

"A 10 percent reservation in government jobs for the children of farmers will attract more youngsters to take up agriculture. This is going to be another demand which will be taken up at the highest level in the party," added Kalpakavadi.