New Delhi: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday announced that it would conduct large farmers’ marches to Raj Bhavans on the second anniversary of the SKM-led farmers’ struggle and submit a memorandum to the President Droupadi Murmu through the respective Governors on November 26.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, SKM leaders including Darshan Pal, Hannan Mollah, Yudhvir Singh, Avik Saha and Ashok Dhawale gave a call to all the farmers of the country to hold the march. With many other demands, SKM has asked the government to provide a legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for all the crops that should be set at a profit margin of 50 per cent.
The farmers have also demanded legal action against union minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, who is accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers and journalists.
SKM leaders also demanded a comprehensive and effective crop insurance scheme to speedily compensate farmers for crop loss due to natural calamities, farmers’ pension of Rs 5,000 per month to all marginal, small and medium-scale farmers and agricultural workers and withdrawal of all false cases against farmers during the SKM movement and also payment of compensation to families of all farmers who were martyred during SKM movement, along with the major local demands of the respective states.
It was on 26 November 2020 when SKM had launched the historic “March to Delhi” which became the world’s longest and largest farmer’s movement and led to the astounding victory of farmers against the corporate-political nexus to oust farmers from their land and livelihood, the SKM press release said.
SKM’s National Council held a meeting on 14 November 2022 at Gurudwara Rakabganj, New Delhi and strongly condemned the Narendra Modi-led ruling government for “betraying” the farmers.
According to the statement by the Morcha, the government betrayed the farmers of the country by not implementing the written assurances made on 9 December 2021 on legally guaranteed MSP.
The meeting resolved to advise all constituent organisations to be prepared to further intensify the struggle across the country.
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“The March to Raj Bhawan across India marks the beginning of the next phase of the farmer’s protest. Hence, SKM appealed to all farmers to prepare for and join continuous and committed countrywide struggles till all demands including “Karza Mukti – Poora Daam” – “Freedom from Indebtedness and Full Remunerative Price”- are fulfilled by the Government. Legally guaranteed MSP for all crops and freedom from indebtedness are the major demands the farmers have been fighting for since the rollout of neo-liberal policies that aggravated the agrarian crisis and peasant suicides,” the statement said.
“Since 1995, more than 4 lakh farmers have committed suicide in India and around 68% of the peasant households are indebted and in financial distress. These demands along with the demands of the repeal of three pro-corporate Farm Laws and the Electricity Bill 2020 led to the historic one-year-long farmers’ struggle at the Delhi borders since 26-27 November 2020 which was actively supported by all sections of the working people in India,” it further said.
The morcha has announced a plan of action to intensify the protests for the coming weeks with the focus on massive protest gatherings beginning from the village level and spreading across the country.
It will organise Fateh Diwas or Victory Day all over the country on 19 November 2022.
“It may be recalled that the Modi Government had to give in to the main demand of repeal of the three farm laws on 19 November 2021. In the face of sustained protests by farmers, it also gave a written assurance on 9 December 2021 to set up a committee on MSP law, with fair representation from SKM, and on other demands. It was on the basis of this assurance that the farmers returned home on 11 December 2021, suspending their historic struggle at the Delhi Borders in which more than 700 farmers were martyred. In this backdrop, SKM shall celebrate 19 November 2022, the first anniversary of the capitulation and declaration of withdrawal of the 3 Black Farm Laws by PM Modi, as Fateh Diwas or Victory Day,” it said.
Farmers will stage a protest march from December 1-11 to the offices of Lok Sabha and Raj Sabha MPs of all the political parties and also to leaders and MLAs of all State Assemblies and a call-to-action letter would also be submitted to all of them, demanding that they bring up the issue of farmers demands in Parliament/State Assemblies and force a debate and resolution of these issues, as per the SKM’s statement.
The next meeting of the SKM is scheduled on December 8, 2022, at Karnal in which the next phase of the movement will be decided and announced.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by HW News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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