Post violence, SKU looks to repair broken image of farmers' stir

As the image of the ongoing agitation against the agri laws took a considerable hit after the violence during the tractor parade, farmer unions cancelled their planned march to Parliament on February 1 and announced that a day-long fast will be observed across the country on January 30 on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary to emphasise on peace and non-violence.

New Delhi: Though the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKU) called the Republic Day violence during the tractor rally in the national capital a conspiracy, the farmer organisations are now looking towards improving the image of the protests, which has taken a considerable hit.

The SKU announced on Wednesday night that on Martyrs' Day (January 30), all farmer leaders will observe a day-long fast. Further, rallies will also be organised across the country in memory of martyrs.

Taking a step back, the SKU cancelled the scheduled protest march to the Parliament on February 1 (Union Budget Day), condemning the violence that ensued on January 26 and also taking moral responsibility for it.

Shiv Kumar Sharma 'Kakkaji', one of the seven farmer leaders involved in the working committee of the SKU, said that the call for the tractor parade was of the SKU, and hence the farmers' forum would take moral responsibility for the violence. However, he stressed that the outfits involved in the violence have no relation whatsoever with the SKU.

The farmer leaders held a meeting under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha on Wednesday. According to sources, leaders mainly discussed ways to improve the deteriorated image of the movement, and also prepared a strategy for the same.

Read:Tractors used as tanks, big mistake to allow rally on R-Day: Security Experts

On January 30, the farmer leaders want to give out a message of peace and non-violence by fasting for a day.

Significantly, two farmer organisations -- Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (RKMS) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu), condemned the violence and announced their withdrawal from Ghazipur and Chilla Border protest sites. It is to be noted, however, that the two organisations were running the movement separately and not under the banner of the SKU.

Meanwhile, the other farmer leaders have maintained that the protest movement will continue.

As many as 37 farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav, Darshan Pal, Medha Patkar and Gurnam Singh Chaduni, have been named in an FIR in connection with the violence during the tractor parade.

Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several Delhi border points, including Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, since November 28, demanding a complete repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops.

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