‘Protests to continue till demands are met’

By Saurabh Sharma | NT with agency inputs

Lucknow: Three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Union government would repeal a trio of contentious farm laws passed in September 2020, a sea of farmers on Monday under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha thronged the Eco Garden in Lucknow to mark their presence at the Kisan Mahapanchayat. At the mega gathering of farmers they announced that they will continue their protest till all the demands of the farmers are met. Interestingly, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait held out the threat of “teaching the BJP a lesson” in upcoming polls in the key heartland state.

Equally contentious was the BKU’s fresh demand for the sacking of junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra Teni with Tikait on Monday comparing the union minister with a “terrorist”, seeking his arrest in connection with the death of four farmers in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Teri’s son is accused of crushing the farmers under his car in Lakhimpur Kheri, and allegedly shooting a young farmer. The BKU leader opposed the proposed inauguration of a sugar mill in Lakhimpur Kheri by the minister, saying if he turns up there, farmers won’t take their sugarcane to the mill.

The farmers at the Mahapanchayat reiterated their demand for compensation to all the families of farmers who died while protesting against farm laws this past year. Tikait also accused the government of trying to divide farmers and said it should talk to them to resolve all their issues, adding “else, we are not going away”. He asked Modi to give a clear answer on the demand for a law guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) that he had “backed when he was the Gujarat chief minister”.

Joginder Singh Ugraha, one of the representatives of SKM said they had “ defeated Modi on three farm laws,” and stepped up demands to slap criminal charges against Ajay Mishra Teni. “ It is very shameful that the minister has neither resigned nor been sacked,” he said.

“Modi didn’t apologise to Indians but he apologised to the capitalists and he said we failed to convince the farmers so I apologize to you. The SKM has decided that the protest on farm laws will continue till they are withdrawn. He also demanded to sack India’s junior home minister “

“We have won but it’s a half win. The issue of making a law on MSP is a bigger issue for all of us and when it’s done the protest will end,” he said.

The SKM also announced that it will teach a lesson to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. It is to be noted that the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are due in early 2022. Yogendra Yadav, one of the representatives of SKM said half of the battle against the government on the three controversial farm laws has been won.

Rakesh Tikait, who has become the voice of farmers with this movement, said there are many issues of the farmers that need to be solved immediately by the government and the SKM will continue to protest against it. “The government will keep you busy with communal issues and they will sell the country. They will entangle you all in Hindu-Muslim, Hindu-Sikh and Jinnah and will keep selling the country. We want guarantees in MSP, seed bill, pollution bill, policy on milk, and others. The other 17 acts coming in the parliament are also our concern and we will continue our protest across the country, “ Tikait said.

The Jinnah reference was to a slugfest between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party after its leader Akhilesh Yadav made a remark equating the founder of Pakistan with freedom fighters like Sardar Vallbhbhai Patel. All the programs scheduled by the SKM till November 29 will continue to be held, Tikait said.

The further course of action will be decided in the meeting of SKM, scheduled in New Delhi on November 27.
 

 • Farmers demand that minimum support prices (MSP) be extended to all produce, not just rice and wheat. Currently, the MSP safety net benefits barely 6% of India’s millions of farmers

• Farmers also demanded that the government drop fines for burning their fields after harvesting to remove stalks and chaff. The smoke is the primary source of air pollution in Delhi.