News Analysis India

Tag: Samyukta Kisan Morcha

  • Farmers from 22 states will participate in protests planned outside parliament: Samyukta Kisan Morcha

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Farmers from 22 states will participate in the protests planned outside parliament from July 22 to demand scrapping of the contentious farm laws and for a legal guarantee on MSP, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said on Thursday.

    The umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions has planned that around 200 farmers will hold protests outside parliament every day during the monsoon session.

    The leaders have not commented on whether they have permission to hold demonstrations outside parliament but have maintained that the protests will be “peaceful”.

    “The Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s call for Parliament March from July 22 till August 13 has received an overwhelming and enthusiastic response from across the country,” it said in a statement.

    Besides Punjab and Haryana, a large number of farmers from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan will participate in the protest, SKM said Special marches by women on July 26 and August 9 will also see huge participation from across India, including the northeastern states, it said.

    “The parliamentarians shall see farmers from all over India march in a disciplined manner to parliament to place their demands and have their voices heard,” SKM said.

    Extending their support to the farmers’ movement, Punjabi artists, including Gul Panag, Amitoj Mann and Babbu Mann, performed on Thursday for the protestors camping at the Singhu border, the statement said.

    They also appealed to the Indian citizens to extend their solidarity with the farmers’ movement.

    “It is noteworthy that all sections of the country are coming out in support of the farmers and it is unfortunate that the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unable to do justice to the farmers and stand with them,” the statement said.

    Thousands of farmers from across the country have been agitating at the Delhi borders against the three farm laws that they claim will do away with the Minimum Support Price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

    Over 10 rounds of talks with the government, which has been projecting the laws at major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between the two parties.

  • Tomar appeals to farmers to end stir; Protests held at several places on completion of seven months of agitation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: As their agitation against the new agri laws completed seven months, farmers tried to march to governors’ residence in several states on Saturday even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar appealed to them to end their stir and offered to resume talks on the provisions of the three legislations.

    Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points, claimed that farmers were detained in states like Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana during the protests.

    Terming Tomar’s recent statements as “perplexing and contradictory”, it asserted that farmer leaders are not seeking some “meaningless amendments” in the central farm laws which have “fundamental flaws” and urged the people “to punish the BJP”.

    Security was tightened in the national capital and other cities after the SKM said that representatives of farmers will submit memoranda of their demands, addressed to the President, to governors in various states.

    Hundreds of farmers from interiors of Uttar Pradesh, many of them on tractors, reached Ghazipur on Delhi’s borders to mark the completion of seven months of the protest.

    Led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, a group of protesters submitted a memorandum of their demands at the office of DCP Northeast Delhi after a virtual meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

    The farmers then called off their march to Delhi, BKU media incharge Dharmendra Malik said.

    “The memorandum included our demands for the withdrawal of the three new farms laws and for enacting a new law to ensure guarantee for MSP,” he told PTI.

    Farmers from several parts of Haryana gathered at Gurdwara Nada Sahib in Haryana’s Panchkula and headed towards Haryana Raj Bhavan, forcing their way through a layer of barricades, but were stopped at the Chandigarh-Panchkula border where the state police had deployed water cannon and trucks.

    “Where was the need to stop the protestors? It was only a matter of handing over a memorandum to the Governor and not allowing even this much is a reflection of the undeclared emergency and authoritarian times we are going through,” the SKM said in a statement.

    Police used water cannon to stop agitating farmers from Punjab, coming from the Mohali side, but they succeeded in entering Chandigarh after breaking through barricades.

    Farmers from several parts of Punjab had assembled at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali before moving towards the Punjab Governor House.

    A majority of the protesters were without masks and were not following COVID-appropriate behaviour.

    Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders for seven months in protest against the three laws.

    The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers’ protest.

    Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

    “I want to convey through your (media) that farmers should end their agitation. Many are in favour of these new laws across the country. Still, some farmers have any issue with provisions of the laws, Government of India is ready to listen and discuss with them,” Agriculture Minister Tomar tweeted.

    His earlier offer to resume talks had failed to break the deadlock as the farmers insisted on the scrapping of the laws and sought a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

    Tomar said the government had held 11 rounds of consultations with protesting farmer unions and has increased the MSP and is procuring more quantity at MSP.

    Addressing the protesters at Mohali, farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal Rajewal alleged that the central government intended to “hand over farming” to corporate houses.

    Carrying flags of unions and raising slogans against the BJP-led government, protesters, including women and youths, marched towards Chandigarh on tractors and other vehicles or walked on foot.

    They were stopped near sector 17 by police where some buses were parked on the road to prevent protesters from heading towards Punjab Raj Bhavan.

    Rajewal submitted a memorandum to the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner.

    “The memorandum urges the President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to direct the Union Government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the farmers’ movement, repeal the three anti-farmer laws and to enact a law that will guarantee remunerative MSP,” the Morcha said in a statement.

    Protesters from the Haryana side, led by Haryana BKU (Chaduni) leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Morcha member Yogendra Yadav, gave a memorandum to another official.

    Gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana, who was booked for his alleged involvement in the violence at the Red Fort on Republic Day during a tractor rally, also participated in the farmers’ protests.

    A Delhi court on Saturday granted interim protection from arrest to Sidhana.

    He had moved Delhi’s Tis Hazari court seeking anticipatory bail in the case.

    Additional Sessions Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen posted the matter for July 3 and directed the police to not arrest him until then.

    Sidhana had earlier denied involvement in the Republic Day violence.

    The Morcha said that “Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas” (save agriculture, save democracy) is being marked all over India on Saturday on the completion of seven months of the farmers’ protests and 46 years after the promulgation of Emergency in India in 1975″.

    The government has maintained it is ready to amend the provisions of the laws.

    The Supreme Court had in January put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and has set up a committee to resolve the row.

    The committee has submitted its report.

    During the 10th round of talks held on January 20, the Centre had offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi’s borders.

    The three laws — The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 — were passed by the Parliament in September last year.

    Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.

    “Farmers are ready to put in their energies to educate fellow citizens and appeal to them to punish BJP. That is the only lesson that the government seems to be willing to listen to”, the SKM said after Saturday’s protests.

    Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said on Saturday denied reports about the arrest of Tikait and said action will be taken against those spreading such fake news.

  • SKM submits memorandum to President, urges him to direct Centre to repeal farm law

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to direct the Centre to immediately repeal the three “anti-farmer laws”.

    Through its memorandum, the SKM said, it conveyed the “anguish and deep anger” of crores of farming families of the country to the president.

    Farmers have been protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    They have been camping at Delhi borders since November last year demanding the withdrawal of these three laws and that a new law be made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

    In its memorandum, the SKM said, “Through this memorandum being submitted to you, we bring to you the anguish and deep anger of crores of farming families of the country. We hope that you will direct the Union government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the farmers’ movement — repeal the three anti-farmer laws and enact a law that will guarantee remunerative MSP at C2+50 per cent for all farmers.”

    “The historical farmers’ movement being led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha is not only a movement to save farming and farmers of the country but also the democracy of our country.”

    The SKM said it hoped that it would get the president’s support as he had taken an oath to save the Constitution of India.

    The government has maintained the three agricultural laws are pro-farmer and will usher in new technology in farming.

    Several rounds of talks between the farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over these contentious laws.

    The government last held talks with farmer leaders on January 22.

    The talks between the two sides came to a halt after a January 26 tractor parade by farmers in Delhi turned violent.

    Farmers camping at Delhi’s Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders will observe ‘Save Agriculture, Save Democracy Day’ on June 26 to mark the completion of seven months of their agitation.

  • Farm laws: Protesters at Delhi borders to mark seven months of agitation on June 26

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A large number of farmers, including from Uttar Pradesh, is expected to join protesters at Delhi’s border points on June 26 to mark seven months of their agitation against the three agri laws enacted last year, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said on Thursday.

    Farmers at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border points are gearing up for June 26 and they will observe it as ‘Save Agriculture, Save Democracy Day’, it said in a statement.

    “Preparations are underway for marking June 26 as ‘Save Agriculture, Save Democracy Day’ all over the country,” said the umbrella body of 40 farmer unions which is spearheading the stir against the central laws enacted in September last year.

    Farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November demanding that the legislations be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.

    “A large convoy of protestors has left Ganganagar in Rajasthan today for the Shahjahanpur border, led by Grameen Kisan Mazdoor Samiti (GKS). Similarly, farmers from Bagpat and Saharanpur are expected at Ghazipur border, led by BKU (Tikait),” the statement said.

    On June 26, farmers led by unions across the country will hold demonstrations against the laws, it said On Thursday, farmers at different protest sites celebrated the birth anniversary of 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint Kabir Das.

    “Communal harmony is a hallmark of this movement, and Sant Kabir’s birth anniversary was celebrated with great respect today,” the SKM statement said.

    It also said that the farmers are continuing their “social boycott and black flag protests against leaders of BJP and allied parties in different places”.

    Recently, Haryana BJP leader Sonali Phogat faced black flag protest and sloganeering from local villagers in Hisar where the farmers have been protesting for months.

    “It shows the obdurate and provocative attitude of the BJP that it continues to do public programmes that too after accusing farmers of being (Covid) super-spreaders, instead of resolving the legitimate demands of farmers, said protesting Haryana farmer unions,” according to the statement.

    Framers are protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    However, the central government has maintained the laws are pro-farmer.

  • To mark ‘undeclared emergency’, farmers call for gherao of Raj Bhawans across country on June 26

    By ANI
    SONEPAT: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will stage demonstrations outside Raj Bhawans across the country on June 26 and observe the day as “Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas”.

    “June 26, 1975 was a black day in India’s history as on this day the government had announced the Emergency. The present situation is not far from that. It is like an undeclared emergency. Our agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws completes seven months on June 26. We will observe the day as Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas. We will protest outside Raj Bhawans across the country,” said Inderjit Singh, vice president, All India Kisan Sabha, Haryana.

    According to SKM, memorandums addressed to the President of India will be handed over to state governors.

    Farmers protesting against the Centre’s farm laws have been agitating for over six months. Many have camped at the borders of the national capital.

    Despite several rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmer leaders last year, the deadlock remains.

    Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. 

  • 12 opposition parties including Congress, TMC extend support to farmers protest call on May 26

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Twelve major opposition parties have extended their support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha to observe countrywide protest on May 26, marking six months of the farmers protest at Delhi borders against the Centre’s farm laws.

    The joint statement has been signed by Sonia Gandhi (Congress), H D Deve Gowda (JD-S), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Uddhav Thackeray (SS), M K Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Farooq Abdullah (JKPA), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Tejaswi Yadav (RJD), D Raja (CPI) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).

    “On May 12, we had jointly written to Prime Minister Modi saying the following: Repeal farm laws to protect lakhs of our annadatas becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people”.

    “We demand the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission,” the joint statement said.

    It also said that the Central government must stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines.

  • Farmer leader Balbir Rajewal blames Centre for not resuming talks; AAP writes PM Modi

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on Saturday blamed the Union government for not resuming talks, claiming that farmers never denied having a dialogue over the central farm laws.

    “No meeting has been called by the central government after January 22. The way ahead for talks has been stopped from the government side. We never refused to hold talks,” said Rajewal while addressing the media here.

    He added a letter has also been written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for resumption of talks.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 protesting farmer unions and which is spearheading the protests, on Friday had written to the prime minister, urging resumption of talks over the three farm laws they have been agitating against at Delhi borders since November last year.

    Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over the three central laws.

    A government panel had met farmer leaders on January 22.

    There have been no talks between the two sides since January 26 when the farmers” tractor rally in the national capital turned violent.

    Rajewal on Saturday warned the central government that they would hold campaigns as they did during the West Bengal assembly polls against it in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

    He further said a national convention of all farmers’ bodies would be organised to further intensify their struggle.

    A date in this regard, however, could not be finalised because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Rajewal, who is the president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) faction, said May 26 would be observed as “black day” to mark six months of their protest at Delhi borders.

    On this day, people should raise black flags at their homes, shops, industries and tractors to protest against the farm laws.

    In addition to it, effigies of the prime minister will also be burnt on May 26, he said.

    Rajewal also accused the BJP-led government in Haryana of trying to defame the ongoing farmers’ protest at Delhi borders by claiming that it could spread the COVID-19 infection.

    The farmer leader said they have made necessary arrangements for protection against the infection at the protest sites Tikri and Singhu borders.

    Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on May 13 had urged farmers to suspend their stir amid the grim COVID-19 situation, claiming that their movements to and from ‘dharna’ sites were spreading the infection in villages.

    Rajewal said they have arranged 10 oxygen cylinders at a hospital near the protest site.

    Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept with humility farmers’ invitation of talks over the Centre’s agriculture laws and resolve the issue.

    In a letter to the PM, AAP MP Bhagwant Mann and the party’s Punjab affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha also claimed that 470 have died during the course of the agitation, which is unfortunate and painful.

    “The government has not made any attempt to negotiate with farmers since January 22, which is not in the interest of farmers and the entire nation,” they added.

    As farmer leaders have once again urged for talks, the prime minister should accept the invitation with humility and resume talks over the issue, resolving it permanently, they said.

    The leaders said farmers are the backbone of the country and they had to protest for their demands at the cost of their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Concerned about their future, the country’s farmers, including elderly, children and women, have left their homes and settled at Delhi borders, which is also against human rights,” they added.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 protesting farmer unions spearheading the protests, on Friday had written to the prime minister, urging for the resumption of talks over the Centre’s farm laws, against which they are agitating at the Delhi borders since November last year.

    Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government failed to break the deadlock over the three legislations.

    Farmers are demanding the repeal of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    They have described the laws as pro-corporate.

    However, the government has maintained that the laws are for their benefit.

    “We are giving ‘kadha’ (a drink to boost immunity) to each protester. We also distribute Vitamin A, C, D and other medicines,” he said.

    Rajewal rued that nobody till now came to vaccinate farmers at Tikri and Singhu despite the Haryana’s Sonipat administration having been requested for it over 20 days ago.

    Farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November 2020 demanding that the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.

    The government, however, has maintained the three central laws are pro-farmer.

  • Onus on you to resume talks: Farm body in lettter to PM Modi

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH:  The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 protesting farmer unions, on Friday wrote to PM Narendra Modi, urging resumption of talks over the three farm laws they have been agitating against at Delhi borders since last year. 

    Morcha leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Darshan Pal said the letter touched upon several aspects of the farmers’ movement, and the “ignorant attitude” of the government. The morcha, in a statement, said while the protesting farmers do not wish to expose anyone to the health hazards of the Covid-19 pandemic, it “cannot also give up on the struggle, as it is a matter of life and death, and also of future generations”.  

    “Any democratic government would have repealed the three laws that have been rejected by the farmers in whose name these were enacted, and seized the opportunity to provide a legal guarantee of MSP to all farmers… as the Head of the government of the largest democracy in the world, the onus of resuming a serious and sincere dialogue with the farmers lies with you,” the letter reads.

    Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over the Central legislations. A government panel had met farmer leaders on January 22. There have been no talks between the two sides since January 26 when the farmers’ tractor rally in the national capital turned violent. “The SKM has always reiterated its resolve and faith in peaceful mass struggles and democratic solutions through dialogue.

    During the first two months of the struggle, the government held 11 rounds of discussions with us in which we extended full cooperation in good faith, despite the repression and defamation unleashed by your government against the movement. Yet the government failed to address the bare minimum demands of the protesting farmers,’’ it reads.

    The farmers’ body had recently announced to observe May 26 as ‘black day’ to mark six months of their protest at Delhi borders. Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal had appealed to people to raise black flags at their houses, vehicles and shops on May 26 to protest against the contentious farm legislations.

  • Don’t test our patience, initiate talks and accept demands: Farmers’ body to Modi government

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: With spells of rain in the national capital adding to the woes of farmers camping on the borders of Delhi, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday warned the central government to “not test their patience, initiate the dialogue and accept the demands”.

    Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at three Delhi border points, Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, for almost six months, demanding repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee for the minimum support Price (MSP) and other two issues.

    “More than 470 farmers have been martyred in the farmers movement. Many agitators have had to leave their jobs, education and other work. The government’s attitude meanwhile shows how inhuman and careless it is towards its own citizens, the ‘anna daatas’. If the government cares about its farmers and wants their welfare, then it should initiate dialogue with the farmers and accept their demands,” the SKM said in a statement, warning the government to “not test the patience of farmers”.

    So far, there have been 11 rounds of talks between the protesting unions and the government, but the deadlock has continued as both sides have stuck to their stand.

    In January, the government had offered to suspend the farm laws for 12-18 months, which was rejected by the farmer unions.

    The Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the laws till further orders and set up a committee to resolve the impasse.

    When this government, which “pretends” to do the welfare of farmers, takes “full credit” for increasing production or export in any crop or state, it should also take responsibility for every “human loss and other loss” taking place on the borders of Delhi, the SKM, an umbrella body of agitating farmer unions, said.

    The spells of rainfall in Delhi on Wednesday under the impact of cyclone Tauktae, according to the protesting farmers’ union, has caused a great deal of “disruption and losses” at the different agitating venues.

    “It has been a chaotic situation with regard to food and accommodation, due to the rains. Roads and several parts of the protest sites have been filled up with rainwater,” the farmers said.

    “For six months now, in all such circumstances, in the absence of any government facilities and support, the protesting farmers themselves are handling such situations,” they claimed.

    The Centre says the new farm laws will free farmers from middlemen, giving them more options to sell their crops.

    The protesting farmers, however, say the laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the “mandi” (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

  • Farmers stir: Protestors start returning to Singhu and Tikri borders as harvest season ends

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, on Tuesday said that farmers were returning to Singhu and Tikri border protest sites after finishing harvesting their crops.

    In a statement, the SKM said that large convoys of farmers arrived at the two border points on Monday and this will now continue.

    “Yesterday, large convoys of farmers arrived on the Singhu border and Tikri border. Farmers were welcomed at many places on their way to these sites from Punjab. These farmers, who have travelled in tractors, cars and other vehicles, have made arrangements to live in tents and trolleys as they were living before harvesting,” it said.

    “The farmers’ strike is getting stronger and the protest sites are also becoming larger. Farmers’ tents, trolleys and other vehicles have been permanently there for the last five months in long queues. The pattern of farmers coming back after the harvesting season will now continue,” it added.

    The farmers’ outfit said that the government was “promoting privatisation” even at a time when “thousands of people have lost their lives due to the mismanagement of the public health system”.

    “The government should increase investment in education, health and agriculture sectors. Along with taking guarantee of the purchase and remunerative price for the crops of the farmers, the government should make a law on MSP and repeal the three anti-farmer laws immediately,” it said.

    Delhi reported 319 more COVID-19 fatalities and 12,651 new cases on Monday, with a positivity rate of 19.10 per cent.