Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers protests: As cracks show, farm outfits move to forge a united stand

NEW DELHI: NEW DELHI: Seeking to keep its flock together, AIKSCC, which has been coordinating with Punjab farmer unions for the current protests, has evicted its convenor V M Singh who went against its stand on repeal of three farm laws as a precondition for talks with the government. After Singh pitched for a middle path and wanted his own group, Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (RKMS), and others to demand legal guarantee to purchase at minimum support price (MSP) through a legislation as a way out to end the stalemate, AIKSCC sought to distance itself from him. Singh, however, insisted that the Committee does not have right to evict him unless it is ratified by its national council. He was the Congress candidate from Pilibhit constituency against BJP’s Varun Gandhi in the 2009 elections. RKMS, working with farmers in UP, is one of the constituents of AIKSCC which has over 400 farmer organisations from across the country as its members. In order to avoid confusion within its ranks, the Committee on Monday issued a statement, saying, “the National Working Group of AIKSCC met on Sunday and decided to do away with the post of convenor. Henceforth, all decisions of AIKSCC shall be taken only by the Working Group, which shall be the official position of AIKSCC and shall be announced as such.” Its working group has over a dozen members, including Yogendra Yadav, Avik Saha, Darshan Pal and Hannan Mollah, who took key decisions on course of the current protests in coordination with 32 farmers’ unions from Punjab and different groups from other states. Asked about the Committee’s move, Singh told TOI that the AIKSCC has by insisting for repeal of three laws as a precondition for talks deviated from its original goal – ‘Karza Mukti Pura Daam’ (free from debt and remunerative prices through legal guarantee to MSP). “Punjab and Haryana are a different ball game where 90% of the marketable produce are procured at MSP. We need to think what farmers of other states want. This is the reason I insisted for legal guarantee to MSP and consider it as a middle path to end the current deadlock,” said Singh. He said, “The three laws will automatically become infructuous if a law on giving guarantee to MSP is passed. That was our original stand as per our goal of ‘Karza Mukti Pura Daam’. But other groups within the AIKSCC have changed the goalpost”.

The Times of India

2020-12-15

India