New Delhi: Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Wednesday condemned the provocative behaviour of BJP-RSS goons to instigate protesting farmers at Ghazipur Border and dirty tactics of the party to disrupt peaceful protests by farmers. Hool Kranti Diwas was marked in the protest sites today, with protesting farmers remembering with respect the resistance and sacrifice of Adivasis in India's independence struggle, and for a just and equitable land tenure system. Several Adivasi farmers from Jharkhand and Chattisgarh were part of the morchas today.
For several days now, BJP-RSS goons have been trying to instigate and provoke protesting farmers at Ghazipur Border. On the pretext of welcoming a BJP leader Amit Valmiki, several BJP-RSS workers and supporters came into the Ghazipur Border UP Gate protest site today, and went close to the morcha stage. They also raised slogans against the farmers' movement. They raised slogans against protesting farmers calling them "gaddar", "anti national", "khalistanis" and "terrorists". The BJP goons also indulged in stone-pelting onto the morcha stage. There was absolutely no justification to welcoming the BJP leader at this location, and it was done only to instigate a clash with the protesting farmers, police in tow, in a time-testing BJP-RSS tactic.
They moved aggressively towards the stage, threatened to cross over the divider. Farmers objected to the same, and confronted them with black flags. Farmers insisted on the BJP workers leaving the place. Police remained mute spectators throughout. In the ensuing clash, at least 5 farmers were injured. The BJP is clearly trying to bring in discord and disturbance in some way or the other, including dividing people on caste and religion lines. These dirty tactics of BJP-RSS are well-known and farmers will resist the same strongly. SKM demands that the officials who allowed this "welcoming of the BJP leader" at this particular site, hardly 50 meters from the SKM stage should be identified and punished. The allegations of weapons being found, and vehicles being damaged are obviously, political diversionary tactics. A complaint has been lodged by the protesting farmers at the local police station.
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In Maharashtra, several farmer leaders of Samyukt Kisan Morcha and All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee met with the Chief Minister of the state yesterday. They pressed for an Assembly resolution in the upcoming State Legislature session on July 5th, that will insist on the Centre repealing the 3 black acts and for a statute on MSP guarantee for farmers. The delegation also met with the Deputy Chief Minister and other Ministers. The delegation also sought for amendments in the state APMC Act of Maharashtra in a manner that farmers' interests are protected. The delegation said that such amendments should be finalised only after widespread consultations after due democratic processes.
In Kerala, in continuation of the June 26th 'Save Agriculture, Save Democracy Day' program, a delegation of farmer leaders met with the Governor there and handed over a memorandum addressed to the President of India. It is reported that the Union Government will be bringing in a Bill to convert the Delhi Air pollution-related Ordinance into a central law, in the upcoming Parliament Session reportedly slated from July 19th 2021. SKM demands that the government should not bring in covert and sly provisions of penalising farmers for straw burning in this legislation. The Government had orally assured the protesting farmers that penalty provisions will not be applicable to farmers, during the talks between SKM leaders and the government, in late December 2020.
More farmers are reaching the protest sites at Singhu Border and Tikri Border too. 200 quintals of wheat has been donated by local Haryana farmers from Danoda and the same is being brought to Singhu Border, once again showcasing the local support that the farmers' movement has. A contingent of farmers associated with AIKKMS has reached Singhu Border from Haryana today, to join in the Hool Kranti Diwas. In Haryana, the Legislative Assembly Speaker Gyanchand Gupta had to cancel a meeting in Barwala, owing to the black flag protests by farmers against his program arranged in Rattewali village. Farmers started gathering in large numbers and stood waiting in protest, and the BJP leader's program was cancelled.
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Farmers elsewhere are agitating for different basic issues. Punjab farmers for regular electricity supply, farmers in Uttar Pradesh for payments due to them for wheat and sugarcane sales they made, farmers in other states seeking paddy procurement, Telangana jowar farmers asking for compensation etc. SKM is proud of many extraordinary individuals who are struggling along with the protesting farmers in the ongoing movement. One such person is Gurpreet Singh Sidhwan Kalan from Ludhiana, who had given up his job in the USA to join the farmers' protests. He used to work in Singapore earlier. Gurpreet Singh has decided to be part of the struggle until the demands of the movement are met by the government before he goes abroad again.
