Farmers Movement Archive

No end to stir without MSP law and Teni’s sacking: SKM

Lucknow: Unmoved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to annul three farm laws, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Monday unleashed its show of strength away from its epicentre on UP border to the state capital, Lucknow, warning of a prolonged agitation till all its six demands, including legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and dismissal of junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni are met. The minister’s son was allegedly involved in ploughing his SUV through protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in which eight persons, including four farmers were killed. The aggressive stance of SKM, which comprises 40 farmer unions, came even as hundreds of farmers from across UP and neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan swamped Eco Garden in Lucknow for the kisan mahapanchayat. Many rallyists held red flags of Left parties and others were backed All-India Kisan Sangathan (AIKS). The morcha, in fact, sharpened focus on MSP while giving a unanimous call — “MSP nahi toh andolan wahi (The stir will remain the same if legal guarantee for MSP is not given).” The association also threatened to take the stir to different parts of the country if their demands were not met. The morcha has called its next meeting on the Delhi border on November 27 to take a decision on future course of action.Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who spearheaded the farmers’ protest on the Delhi border for the past one year, maintained: “Sangharsh vishram ki ghoshna abhi humne nahi ki hai...humare masle bahut hain abhi... (We have not stopped our agitation. A lot of issues are yet to be resolved)“. The other issues which SKM seeks to get addressed include, repeal of electricity 2020 bill, annulment of cases against farmers for stubble burning, rehabilitation of families of farmers who died during farmers’ protest and constructing a memorial in their name at Singhu border.Tikait slammed BJP and its right-wing arms for diverting people’s attention with communal issues like Jinnah, which BJP has been oft repeating after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav invoked the Pakistan founder. He also alleged PM Narendra Modi’s announcement of getting farm laws repealed was loaded with the “remark” of “kuch log”, allegedly to divide farmers. He said the “PM’s apology” would not help farmers get the price of their produce. “They will get the price only when MSP is given legal sanctity,” he said, pointing out that the committee headed by Narendra Modi during his stint as Gujarat CM in 2011 had recommended a legal guarantee on MSP. “The report is still there with PMO and awaits implementation,” he said. Convener of Jai Kisan Andolan, Yogendra Yadav sharpened the attack on the BJP dispensation, accusing it of shielding junior home minister Teni. “He is a ‘sutradhaar’ (facilitator) of Lakhimpur Kheri violence,” he said, while addressing a gathering of farmers and asking them not to relent till the minister is sacked and sent to prison. SKM’s move to call the ‘mahapanchayat’ in Lucknow marked its combative positioning to lend a riveting punch at BJP, ahead of UP assembly elections due in next few months. Hundreds of farmers, not surprisingly, reached the state capital from different districts. Paramjeet Singh, a Sikh farmer from Mehmoodabad tehsil in Sitapur, said farmers are forced to sell paddy at a price of just over Rs 1,100 per quintal as against a MSP of Rs 1940 per quintal. Another farmer from Pilibhit, Karan Singh, alleged less than 10% of total produce is purchased at MSP from farmers. “Farmers also face a perpetual shortage of fertilizers,” he said.

The Times of India

2021-11-23

Lucknow