Farmers' Protest: SKM Forms Panel for Dialogue With Govt, Says Stir to Continue

Farmers at the Sidhu border marking one year of protest agains  t the controversial farm laws.

(Photo: The  Quint)

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Saturday, 4 December, formed a five-member committee that would act as its designated channel of communication with the government.

• In a statement, the umbrella body of protesting farmer unions said that that the committee has been formed to "negotiate with the Govt of India for resolving the pending issues."

• According to the release, the committee will include Ashok Dhawale, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Shiv Kumar Kakkaji and Yudhvir Singh.

The meeting comes after an NDTV report, which claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called leaders of farmer unions on Friday, 3 December, urging them to form an official committee.

Quoting farmer union leader Yudhvir Singh, now a member of the committee, the report said that Home Minister Shah had conveyed the government's serious attitude towards finding a solution to the farmers' stir, which has completed a year.

Shah also referred to the government's repeal of the three laws, that was first announced by Prime Minister Modi 19 November and later repealed in the parliament.

Agitation to Continue: SKM

Meanwhile, in a "crucial meeting" held on 4 December, the SKM decided to continue the agitation till a formal response on pending issues is received from the government.

Maintaining that it is suspicious of the government's oral promises, the morcha asserted that the stir would not end without a formal response.

"Farm unions of India have a bitter experience from the past of securing only oral assurances and ending their agitation and finding that Governments renege on the meagre oral assurances too. We will not end this agitation without formal responses on each of the issues being raised by us. We want to see all the cases foisted against farmers as well as their supporters as part of this movement to be withdrawn and such an assurance coming formally"

SKM Statement.

Pending Issues Before Centre 

According to SKM, the following demands have been pending before the government.

• Legal entitlement for all farmers to realise remunerative MSP for any agricultural produce that they sell.

• Withdrawal of Electricity Amendments Bill 2020/2021, deletion of Sec15 in the law related to setting up of a Commission for Delhi Air Quality regulation.

• Withdrawal of cases foisted on protesting farmers and their supporters in various states including Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan etc.

• Rehabilitation for the kin of the martyrs of the movement whose number is now around 708, and land allotment for a memorial to be built for them.

• Arrest and sacking of Ajay Mishra Teni for justice in Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

The next meeting of SKM has now been fixed for December 7th, with the next two days kept for the Government of India to respond to SKM and work along with the 5-member Committee to resolve this agitation.