‘Yet to receive any communication from govt’: Samyukta Kisan Morcha says future course of action to be decided today

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A five-member committee formed by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to hold talks with the government has not received any communication from the Centre so far and hence, the future course of action as regards the farmers’ movement will be decided at a meeting of the morcha on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the SKM.

The farmer organisations under the aegis of SKM said there is a need to intensify the movement for a legal guarantee on the MSP, the withdrawal of “fake cases” against farmers and the rehabilitation of the families of the farmers who died during the agitation.

The SKM, an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions, formed the five-member panel on Saturday to hold talks with the government on the pending demands of the protesting farmers, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, compensation to the kin of the farmers who died during the agitation against three agriculture laws and the withdrawal of cases against the protesters.

The development came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah, according to sources in the SKM, spoke to a senior farmer leader over the phone last week.

The five-member panel of the SKM has farmer leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Ashok Dhawle, Shiv Kumar Kakka, Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Yudhvir Singh.

“The five-member committee has not received any communication from the Union government so far to discuss the issues mentioned in its letter to the Prime Minister dated November 21, 2021.

“In such a situation, the future programme of intensified movement will be announced by the SKM through its meet at the Singhu Morcha tomorrow (Tuesday),” the statement said.

The SKM pointed out that several leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have said after the Centre’s decision to withdraw the three laws, the farm movement will not have any influence on the outcome of the upcoming Assembly elections.

“This is completely baseless. Legal guarantee of MSP, withdrawal of Electricity Amendments Bill, removal of the clause of penalty on the farmers from the air pollution bill…withdrawal of fake cases imposed on farmers and rehabilitation of martyr families, and issues like martyr memorial etc. remain unresolved. These issues will influence Mission UP and Uttarakhand,” it said in the statement.

The SKM added that farm organisations across the country celebrated the Maha Parinirvana Diwas of Babasaheb Ambedkar and took an oath to protect the Constitution.

It also thanked the people residing near the borders of Delhi, who have continuously supported the farm movement since November 26, 2020.

On November 29, a bill was passed in Parliament to repeal the three contentious farm laws, one of the main demands of the protesting farmers.

But the stalemate continues with the protesters demanding that the government fulfil their other demands too.