Thousands of farmers assembled in Delhi on March 20 for the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to remind the Centre of its unfulfilled promises before protestors dispersed in November 2021 after a 13-month-long agitation at Delhi’s borders. A delegation of SKM leaders met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and submitted two memorandums on the pending demands, including a law to ensure Minimum Support Price for all crops.
The Mahapanchayat also decided to hold State-level conventions and all-India rallies to mobilise people on farmers’ problems. The farmers also decided to continue their protests against corporate control over agriculture and the alleged anti-farmer policies of the Centre.
The SKM said Mr. Tomar had agreed to hold discussions with the SKM on the pending issues and other problems of farmers.
In their memorandum on the unfulfilled promises, the SKM said they had suspended the agitations in 2021 relying on the Centre’s letter assuring that it would take effective steps to mitigate the crises faced by farmers. “Today, over 15 months later, the Union Government has not fulfilled the promises made to the farmers. We request you once again, to urge the Union Government to take immediate concrete steps to resolve the pending issues, and pay heed to the problems of the farmers by fulfilling their demands...” the letter said.
Farmers under the banner of SKM during ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’, at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI
The major demands include a law to guarantee MSP for all crops based on the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission; a new committee on MSP; immediate waiver of all loans of all farmers; reduction in input prices; withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill; dismissal of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ for his alleged role in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident where four farmers and a journalist were killed; compensation and rehabilitation to the families of Lakhimpur Kheri victims; comprehensive and effective crop insurance scheme; farmer pension scheme of ₹5,000 per month; withdrawal of cases registered against farmers in BJP-ruled States; land allocation to construct a memorial for “martyred farmers” at Sindhu, and repealing of the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022.
In their second memorandum, the SKM said potato, tomato, onion and mustard farmers had suffered huge losses due to the sudden crash of market prices. “The Government has failed to support farmers through market intervention schemes. Price support schemes such as Bhavantar have been rendered useless as they have not been implemented in this crisis. The Government has in fact deepened the crisis by regulating export and import and no steps have been taken to help farmers achieve better prices under the pretext of inflation control,” the SKM added.
