New Delhi: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will hold Mahapanchayats in Punjab and Haryana in January to discuss its ongoing struggle, and build a larger unity of the Kisan movement. However, some farmers' outfits seem to be distanced from the meeting.
Expressing her views, Sukhwinder Kaur, general secretary, of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) told ETV Bharat, “Our outfit will not participate in the Mahapanchayat. There are some issues following which several unions distanced from such morchas."
Presenting the same views, Dharmendra Malik, a member of BKU (non-political) told ETV Bharat, “Some unions are not showing interest in protests because they are fed up with agitations. Several facts like the right time, place and weather are needed to make a protest successful. This is not the right time for agitation or meetings.”
According to SKM, Mahapanchayats will be held at Tohana on January 4 and Moga on January 9, with the agenda of further intensifying the ongoing struggle, building larger unity of the Kisan movement, expanding worker-farmer unity and reaching out to the people by launching massive anti-corporate campaigns and struggles.
"SKM reiterates its demands for the Union government to immediately engage in discussions with all Kisan organizations regarding their struggles for basic demands, including MSP and loan waiver. The demands also include saving the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is continuing his fast-unto-death protest at the Punjab border, releasing all farmers imprisoned in Luxer Jail in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and withdrawing the New National Agricultural Marketing Policy, SKM informed."
"Instead of discussing the acute distress faced by the farmers and agricultural labourers, the government is further unleashing an onslaught on agriculture, industry and services through the New National Agriculture Market Policy and Digital Agriculture Mission, National Cooperation Policy, imposing four Labour Codes and 'One Nation One Election' thus, eroding the federal rights of the State governments to facilitate the corporate agenda of ‘One Nation One Market' for corporate profiteering," SKM said.
“SKM will write to all the Trade Unions and the Agricultural Workers Unions in this regard. The widest possible unity of the Kisan movement and worker-farmer unity is essential for preparing the farmers and workers for larger struggles to resist the corporate agenda of denying MSP and minimum wage and achieve the basic demands, including MSP, loan waiver, no privatisation of electricity and implementation of LARR Act 2013 among others,” it said.
Jaswinder Longowal of Kisan Majdoor Morcha told ETV Bharat, “Some farmer outfits are not with the agitation. We belong to Kisan Majdoor Morcha, which is active at the Sambhu Border protest for farmers. All the farmer unions have more or less similar demands.”
