Farmers Movement Archive

‘Day of Betrayal’: Haryana farm unions to hold protests today

On a call of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmer union leaders from Haryana will hold protests at all district headquarters on Monday to observe the ‘Day of Betrayal’ against the central government for not fulfilling promises made to morcha leaders.The SKM, an umbrella body of farmer unions, has given the call to observe January 31 as ‘Day of Betrayal’ across the country against the Union government for ‘backtracking’ from the promises made to the SKM leaders last month.The decision to hold protests and submit a memorandum addressed to the Union government was taken in the review meeting of the SKM leaders held on January 15. According to the farmer leaders of 40 unions of Haryana, who held a meeting at Rohtak, they have decided to join the protests at the district headquarters in the state on January 31 and burn effigies of the Union and state leaders. Earlier, there were reports that BKU (Charuni) was reluctant to participate in the protests but now members of the union at the district level have issued instructions to their supporters to join the protests. Farm union leaders in Haryana are also holding meetings with farmers, requesting them to join the protest in large numbers to make it successful to get justice for the victims of violence in Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh last year. Messages are being circulated to the farmers on social media platforms as well. “January 31 will be observed as Day of Betrayal as the government has turned back from its promises and justice has not been done with the farmers who were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri violence,” said BKU (Charuni) Karnal leader Jagdip Singh Aulakh. He said that they were bound to follow the directions of the SKM leaders and they will follow whatever decision was taken by the top leadership.Haryana BKU (Tikait) president Ratan Mann said the farmers will hold protests at the district headquarters and a memorandum addressed to the President of India will be submitted to the deputy commissioners, seeking the President’s intervention as the “Union government did not fulfil any of the promises made to the farm leaders in the letter on December 9, 2021, including formation of a committee on the issue of MSP , withdrawal of cases registered against farmers and compensation to families of those who lost their lives during the yearlong agitation”.

Hindustan Times

31-01-2022

Chandigarh