Centre did not fulfil promises to farmers despite PM Modi's word: SKM in Lakhimpur Kheri

Farmer leader Shivkumar Sharma ‘Kakkaji’ said the government had made several assurances, including over the issue of MSP for crops, in the wake of the farmers’ protest but failed to deliver

February 15, 2022 12:54 pm | Updated 12:54 pm IST - Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh):

Rakesh Tikait. File image.

Rakesh Tikait. File image. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on February 15 alleged that the Centre has not worked for fulfilling its promises towards farmers despite announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as it appealed to people of Uttar Pradesh to "punish the BJP".

In a press conference of the SKM in Lakhimpur Kheri, farmer leader Shivkumar Sharma ‘Kakkaji’ said the government had made several assurances, including over the issue of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, in the wake of the farmers’ protest but failed to deliver.

“Among the promises were that all cases lodged against protesters would be taken back, families of those who died during the agitation will get financial compensation, farmers will be kept out of the ambit of electricity bills,” Mr. Sharma, flanked by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, told reporters.

“There is also provision for punishment and penalty on stubble burning but assurance was given for removing the clause of punishment and the most important issue was a law to guarantee MSP but no committee has been formed yet for that also,” he said.

Mr. Sharma said the Prime Minister had on November 19, 2021 announced that a committee would be formed for MSP but that has not happened yet.

Although Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar made a rhetorical remark in Parliament in the last session that the government is seeking permission for it from the Election Commission, he noted.

“A committee could have been formed on the basis of the announcement by the Prime Minister and there would have been no effect on the Election Commission,” he claimed.

Similarly, he said, work on all the five points was to be done by the government but has not been done because of which the SKM on January 31 observed 'betrayal day' across the country and after that it decided to go across poll-bound UP under its 'Mission UP'.

“We do not ask anyone who to vote for but to punish the BJP. The farmer knows whom to vote for. This is not our work to decide who will form the government. We will support the government in the same ratio the government supports us,” Mr. Sharma said.

The SKM's press conference in Lakhimpur Kheri comes close on heels of a high court order which has granted bail to Union Minister Ajay Mishra 'Teni's son Ashish Mishra, who is accused in the Tikunia violence in which eight people, including four farmers were killed in October 2021.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.