Farmers Movement Archive

Stir off for now, farmers to head home from Dec 11

As soon as the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday announced that the 378-day-old agitation had been called off, there was jubilation at Singhu.The protesters were told they could return home after a “victory procession” on December 11. However, in Tikri many chose to leave right away.On receiving a letter from the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the matter was discussed by SKM’s five-member committee and then at the general house. Subsequently, SKM leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Darshan Pal, Yogendra Yadav, Rakesh Tikait, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Shiv Kumar Kakka and Hannan Mollah announced suspension of the protests at Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur, national highways and toll plazas.The letter by the Centre reportedly says the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have agreed to withdraw cases against farmers with immediate effect.“It has been decided to put off celebrations by a day as a mark of respect to General Bipin Rawat and other defence personnel who will be laid to rest on Friday,” said Darshan Pal. “The boycott of the BJP and JJP in Haryana has been revoked,” he added.“This is not the end as the movement has only been suspended. We have decided to meet again on January 15 to ‘review’ the Centre’s assurances,” SKM core committee member Balbir Singh Rajewal told mediapersons.The Morcha leaders had on Wednesday accepted the Union Government’s revised draft proposals on key pending demands. Dedicating the “victory” to the farmers who died during the course of the agitation, the SKM thanked local residents, the media and social organisations for their support.“The story may be far from over,” warned some experts, claiming the farmers’ “victory” had exposed the “inability/limitations of the RSS-BJP strategy to counter agitations without any religious tinge”.“With Punjab, UP and Uttarakhand elections round the corner, the Modi government decided to accept the farmers’ demands,” said agriculture expert Sudhir Panwar from western Uttar Pradesh, who is associated with the Samajwadi Party.Amid reports that BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, who gave a fresh impetus to the agitation with his emotional outbreak after the January 26 Republic Day violence, was not in favour of ending the agitation till MSP was made a legal entitlement, Panwar too said the farmers were “divided” on the issue. “This also shows the dominant role of Punjab and Haryana farmers in the agitation,” he added.

The Tribune

2021-12-10