SKM meet today to decide on support for ongoing farmers’ stir

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), comprising 32 farm bodies, will meet on Wednesday in Chandigarh to chalk out modalities for giving support to Jagjit Singh Dallewal-led Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) and Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC) led by Sarwan Singh Pandher.

Balbir Singh Rajewal, who heads a BKU faction, on Tuesday, said: “We will ponder on how to give the protesting farmer bodies support.”

The SKM, which had spearheaded the 2020 farmers’ stir against the now-repealed farm laws, has not been part of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ call, though all the farm bodies are raising the same set of demands but have different viewpoints over the manner in which the protests are being held.

This comes days after farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher wrote to the SKM to join hands with the farmers protesting at Punjab-Haryana border points over their various demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.

Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. Dallewal has been on hunger strike since November 26 and his condition is said to be critical. A ‘jatha’ (group) of 101 farmers made three attempts to enter Delhi on foot on December 6, December 8 and again on December 14. They were not allowed to proceed by security personnel in Haryana.

Addressing the media at the Shambhu border, Pandher had said, “We have extended our hands to those brothers who could not participate in the Delhi andolan-2 (Delhi Chalo march). We asked them to forget whatever differences (the unions have) in the interests of farmers and labourers. We have written a letter to our brothers. We expect a positive message from them (SKM).”

In the letter, Pandher said they had made an attempt for unity before the start of the ongoing agitation but the efforts could not be successful then because of various reasons. After three failed repeated attempts to cross over to Haryana, SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have given a call for rail roko on December 18.

“They had kept us away (from the protest) and in the act of one-upmanship they started protests thinking that in the wake of Haryana state assembly elections, the demands might be met, but this has not happened,” said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary of BKU (Lakhowal).

The (farmers) protests should have been launched by taking along all the farm organisations from Punjab and outside states to make an impact. This is what we have been advocating since the two organisations launched the protest, Lakhowal added.

Lakhowal said all the farm organisations are fighting for demands including MSP as a legal guarantee, assured procurement of all crops, waiver of entire debt on the farmers, a package for crop diversification, electricity bill to privatise power sector be withdrawn and rejecting proposed draft for privatisation of agriculture marketing.

Joginder Singh Ughrahan, who heads BKU (Ekta-Ughrahan), a farm body with the largest support base in the Malwa belt, termed the protests a case of shoddy planning which has failed to take the matter to a conclusive end.

Ughrahan assured support to the farm bodies, however, said that the final decision will be taken in the meeting of the officer bearers.

“We have been supporting the farmers’ demands, but BKU (Sidhpur) and KMSC do not want us to be there with other farm bodies,” asserted Sukhdev Singh Korki Kalan, general secretary, BKU (Ekta-Ughrahan).