Stabbed in the back: SKM pulls out of talks
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) on Friday boycotted a meeting with the Punjab Government, which was convened to discuss their demands. Leaders from both farmer organisations stated that while they remained open to dialogue, “the current atmosphere is not conducive to constructive discussions”.
However, they decided to roll back their proposed protest march to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, originally scheduled for March 26. Instead, they will hold statewide protests outside the offices of the deputy commissioners on March 28.
SKM leaders emphasised that talks with the government could only resume once the farmers arrested over the past two days were released and all seized vehicles were returned. “The state government has stabbed the farmers in the back,” they said.
The decision to boycott the meeting, which was to be led by Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, comes in response to the recent police crackdown on farmers affiliated with the SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. These farmers were evicted from protest sites on March 19. Meanwhile, the state government-appointed interlocutors -- Jaskaran Singh and Narinder Bhargav (both retired police officers) -- met SKM leaders to resolve the matter, but the latter refused to budge.
The offer for talks was extended to the farmers last night, but they rejected it today. While SKM leaders gathered this morning to deliberate on whether to attend the meeting, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) leaders in Sangrur announced their decision to boycott the talks. The move initially surprised some SKM leaders, who had expected a joint decision. The SKM waited for nearly an hour for BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) representatives to join them, but they did not show up.
“We don’t want to avoid talks with the government, as the dialogue is the only way to resolve issues. However, the current atmosphere is not right for discussions,” said Buta Singh Burjgill, an SKM leader.
Raminder Singh, another SKM leader, said March 28 would be observed as a day against state’s oppression. “We are inviting all unions in Punjab to join this protest. The AAP government is turning Punjab into a police state. Look at how the police attacked a serving Colonel. Is there no democratic space left in Punjab?” he questioned.
The farmers also accused the AAP government of aligning with the BJP and acting against the interests of agriculturalists.
