SKM to ramp up agitation; announces 'daily' tractor rallies during winter session

As the ongoing farmers' protest against three laws is to complete one year on November 26, farmer leaders of Samyukt Kisan Morcha held a meeting at Singh border on Tuesday to prepare the future outline of the movement.

New Delhi: Agitating farmers' union Samyukt Kisan Morcha said 500 farmers will participate in peaceful tractor rallies to Parliament on daily basis during the upcoming Winter Session, demanding the withdrawal of the contentious farm laws enacted by the union government in 2020.

Earlier today, Rakesh Tikait, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union, said farmers will intensify protests in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

Also, the SKM leaders met earlier today at Sonipat in Haryana in a bid to lay out a strategy to intensify the union's protests against the union government. However, there were reports of differences of opinion among the leader of SKM.

The meeting was attended by the farmers' leaders including Rakesh Tikait, Gurnam Singh Chaduniacross from across the nation. During the meeting, farmer leaders were also seen standing against each other. In a similar row, the leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni faction) were adamant on the march to Delhi on November 26. While Sitting outside the Samyukt Morcha meeting, farmers raised slogans against Samyukt Kisan Morcha by calling Gurnam Singh Chaduni as their leader.

Earlier on November 7, farmers' organizations of Haryana held a meeting at Makrauli toll of Rohtak, while on November 8, 32 farmers held a meeting in Punjab. The leaders representing the various groups presented their points in the meeting held today.

SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions leading the stir, in a statement also said it will observe one year of the movement on and after November 26 in a “massive way” all over India.

“The SKM decided that from November 29 until the end of this Parliament session, 500 selected farmer volunteers will move every day to Parliament in tractor trollies peacefully and with full discipline, to assert their rights to protest in the national capital,” the statement said.

This will be done to "'increase the pressure" on the central government "to force it to concede the demands for which farmers across the country have launched a historic struggle", it said.

The SKM statement said that on November 26, there will be huge mobilisations from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan at all the Delhi borders

“All farm unions in the SKM will mobilise farmers in strength for this occasion. Huge public meetings will be held there (at borders) that day. Homage will be paid to more than 650 martyrs in this struggle so far,” it said.

The union has also called for massive mahapanchayats in state capitals on November 26.

The Winter session of Parliament will begin on November 29 and go on till 23 December.