SKM to hold ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ of North India in Jind on January 26

Karnal, December 24

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of the farmer unions of the country, has announced to hold ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ of North India in Jind on January 26 against the non-fulfilment of their demands including a law ensuring the guarantee of MSP, cancellation of FIRs, justice to Lakhimpur Kheri victims, and several others.

The organisation has also demanded crop insurance and pension for farmers over the age of 60.

The decision was made in a marathon meeting that lasted for over three hours at Gurdwara Dera Kar Sewa by the leaders of the SKM, who came from different parts of the country.

Farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Darshan Pal Singh, Ranjit Raju, Ravula Venkaiah, and other leaders attended the meeting and informed about the future strategy of the SKM.

“On January 26, 2021, the Union government had tried to break the farmers’ morcha during the tractor march, but failed. Now, we will hold a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Jind on January 26, in which farmers from North India –Haryana, Punjab, UP, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan will participate to press our demands,” said Tikait.

Farmers, who would not reach Jind, will hold protests in their districts, tehsils, blocks and village level on tractors across the country. Later, they will hand over memorandums to the district officials, he added.

The SKM also decided to hold another ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Delhi in March, the date of which will be announced on January 26 in Jind. The SKM will hold meetings across the country, he said.

He accused the BJP-led Union government and said that in the Parliament it claims that all the FIRs registered against the farmers were cancelled, but still several cases were under investigation at various police stations.

Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that in this Kisan Mahapanchayat the SKM will expose the conspiracy of the BJP government of breaking the unity of SKM on January 26, 2021, during the tractor march. This meeting will send a strong message to the government.

The SKM also condemned the step of introducing the Electricity Act Amendment Bill in Parliament which it had earlier assured to withdraw. The SKM also demanded the withdrawal of the Rural Development Cess on farmers brought by the Haryana BJP Government. It also condemned the raids by central agencies and IT department on Punjab singers Kanwar Grewal and Ranjit Bawa, who have supported the farmers’ agitation. The SKM extended solidarity to the farmers’ struggles across the country.

Dr Darshan Pal said that the SKM will celebrate January 26 as unity day. “We demand swift action against culprits of Lakhimpur Kheri and removal of Ajay Mishra Teni from the Union cabinet. Government should release farmers who are still languishing in Jail.

Besides, the SKM condemned the Punjab government’s demolition of the houses of more than two dozen families who migrated from Pakistan and settled at Latifpura in Jalandhar. A meeting to finalise rules and regulations of SKM will be held on February 9, 2023 in Haryana’s Kurukshetra.