Charuni threatens to boycott SKM meetings, claims selective discrimination

Tribune News Service
Ambala, August 8

Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni has threatened to boycott all further meetings of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha after he accused other leaders of the joint farmers’ front of selective discrimination against him and some of his supporters.

The discord appears to have occurred at the meeting held on Saturday. Charuni, who faced a week’s suspension from the joint front in July after he issued statements about “Mission Punjab”, walked out of Saturday’s meeting over what he later claimed was the mistreatment meted out to him by the front, particularly some unions from Punjab.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha suspends Gurnam Singh Charuni for 1 week

In a video message he uploaded on Facebook, he said that the front chose to act against him but let similar violations from other members slide by. He was seemingly referring to the ban he had to face over what was viewed as political statements.

“They’ve been discriminating against me from the start. There have been several incidents when they tried to rout me out from the Samyuka Morcha, but no action was taken against the other people for doing similar things. They have taken action against me twice but no action has been taken against Kakka (Shiv Kumra Kakka) for his remarks against me. In another case, Yogendra Yadav’s supporters contested the Uttar Pradesh’s Zila Parishad election and even used posters claiming to be SKM supported candidates but no action was taken.”

 “Four ‘Jathebandiyas’ from Punjab were kicked out by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha from a meeting just because they associated with me and I led their march. This is dictatorship. We’ve been putting up with it because we didn’t want the movement affected.”

“The Punjab leaders have some issues with me. I have boycotted their meetings. I have decided not to attend the general body and nine-member committee meetings to mark our protest against their injustice. They try to demean us,” Charuni, surrounded by his supporters, said into the camera.

He clarified, however, that he would continue to abide by the decisions taken at the meeting to avoid “weakening the movement”.

Charuni, a prominent face of the farmers’ movement in Haryana and one of nine prominent members of the SKM, faced a week’s ban from the union’s activities on July 15 over statements about the launch of what he said was “Mission Punjab”. His statements drew condemnation from a front that has so far claimed to maintain political neutrality, saying that their movement was only aimed at farmers’ welfare.

Punjab heads into assembly elections next year.