Farmers Movement Archive

SKM condemns ‘provocative behaviour of BJP-RSS goons to instigate protesting farmers’

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Wednesday condemned the “provocative behaviour of BJP-RSS goons to instigate protesting farmers at Ghazipur border and disrupt their peaceful protests”, claiming attempts being made to provoke them for several days.The BJP in turn blamed the agitating farmers for the ruckus in Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and damaging vehicles belonging to party supporters. Though, as per a statement issued by the SKM, “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 and indulged in stone-pelting on the morcha stage”.Stating that there was “absolutely no justification to welcoming the BJP leader at this location”, Morcha leaders claimed it was done only to “instigate a clash with the protesting farmers, police in tow, in a time-testing BJP-RSS tactic”.“When they moved aggressively towards the stage, threatened to cross over the divider, farmers objected and confronted them with black flags. They insisted that BJP workers should leave the place. Police remained mute spectators throughout. In the ensuing clash, at least 5 farmers were injured,” they claimed, accusing the BJP of “trying to bring in discord and disturbance and dividing people into caste and religion lines”.Demanding to know who allowed “welcoming of the BJP leader” hardly 50 metres from the SKM stage, they termed the “allegations of weapons being found and vehicles being damaged as political diversionary tactics”. A complaint has been lodged by the protesting farmers at the local police station, they also said.The ruckus took place when BJP workers were carrying out a procession on a flyway where farm law protesters, mainly supporters of the Rakesh Tikait-led BKU have been camping for the past several months now.According to the eyewitness accounts, as the two sides came near each other on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway around noon, a scuffle broke out.Videos and pictures surfaced on social media, purportedly showing some damaged vehicles which were part of a cavalcade of Valmiki, for whose welcome the procession was being held.Meanwhile, agitating farmers observed ‘Hool Kranti Diwas’ at protest sites today to remember 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 Chhattisgarh were part of the morchas today, the SKM said. In Maharashtra, SKM leaders and All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee met with the chief minister, demanding an assembly resolution in the upcoming session on July 5 “on the Centre repealing the 3 black acts and bring a statute on MSP guarantee for farmers”.Amid reports of the Centre bringing in a Bill to convert the Delhi air pollution-related ordinance into a central law in the upcoming Parliament session, the SKM also asked the “government to not bring 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,” they said.According to the SKM, more farmers are reaching the protest sites at Singhu border and Tikri border.

The Tribune

2021-06-30

New Delhi