Samyukt Kisan Morcha to go ahead with planned march to Parliament, Lucknow mahapanchayat

New Delhi/Sonepat/Lucknow, November 21

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha announced on Sunday that it was going ahead with its planned march to Parliament to mark one year of the farmer protests. 

The march, announced days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his government was repealing all three controversial laws, is scheduled for November 29.

 Balbir Singh Rajewal, who's part of the core committee of the SKM, said that the joint front would decide its next course of action at a meeting on November 27. 

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border following a meeting, Rajewal said: "We discussed the repeal of farm laws. After this, some decisions were taken. SKM's pre-decided programmes will continue as it is. Kisan panchayat will be held in Lucknow on November 22, gatherings at all borders on November 26 and march to Parliament on November 29".

The SKM also said it would address an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi listing their demands, such legal guarantee for the minimum support price for farm produce, cancellation of criminal cases against farmer leaders and their supporters.

SKM, an umbrella body of the agitating unions, met earlier on Sunday to decide on the next course of action, including on the MSP issue and the proposed daily tractor march to Parliament during the upcoming Winter Session.

Farmer leaders have been maintaining that the protesters will stay put at border areas of Delhi until the Centre formally repeals these laws in Parliament after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise announcement on Friday and have indicated their stir for a statutory guarantee of MSP and withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill will continue

Farmer leaders have said the protests will continue until the government makes a law on minimum support price (MSP) and removes Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra.

In a tweet in Hindi on Sunday, Bhartiya Kisan Union national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said: “Chalo Lucknow Chalo Lucknow (let's go to Lucknow) for MSP Adhikaar Kisaan Mahapanchayat. The agriculture reforms being talked about are fake and cosmetic. The farm reforms are not going to stop the plight of the farmers. The biggest reform for the farmers and agriculture will be to make a law pertaining to the MSP”.

 Vice-president of Uttar Pradesh unit of BKU Harnam Singh Verma told PTI, “The Prime Minister has announced the repeal of the three farm laws, but he did not say when the MSP law will be made. Until a law is made on the MSP, and Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra is removed, the agitation will continue”.

Verma also said a number of other issues will also be discussed at the farmers’ mahapanchayat. “The BJP had said (during the previous Assembly elections in UP) that once it forms the government in the state, payment will be made to the sugarcane farmers within 14 days, but this mechanism could not be implemented in the state. In a span of four-and-a-half years, the increase in sugarcane price was barely Rs 25,” he said.

Violence had erupted in Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3 when farmers were protesting the visit of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to Mishra’s native place. Four agitating farmers were run over by a vehicle while four others, including a journalist and two BJP workers, were also killed in the ensuing violence. --- TNS/Agencies

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