Farmer organizations are coming on one platform, how successful will they be?
#News Bureau January 13,2025
Following the call for unity of farmer organizations, a meeting of major farmer organizations is being held in Patiala district on Monday, January 13. Earlier this meeting was scheduled for January 15. But in view of the intention of the government and the worrying condition of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, this meeting was called on January 13 itself. Monday is the 49th day of Dallewal’s fast unto death. It has been 333 days since the farmers have been sitting on the Shambhu and Khanauri border! The central government has now left the farmers to their fate. In fact, the United Kisan Morcha (National) has called for unity to put pressure on the Center. So that the Center can be pressured for “another round of talks with them”. Leaders of the United Kisan Morcha (Apolitical) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are protesting separately in Punjab and Haryana after differences between the central government panel, Supreme Court panel and farmers union members on various issues including MSP.
Both groups are maintaining their dominance in Shambhu and Khanauri, while most other unions have kept their distance. The agitation has led to the closure of the national highway near Shambhu as Haryana Police has put up barricades to prevent protesters from entering their state. However, the farmers are being blamed for the highway closure, while the Haryana government has got the border barricaded. This is exactly what happened in Delhi during the Shaheen Bagh agitation. The Delhi Police had closed the road at Kalindi Kunj near Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and the Shaheen Bagh agitation was being held responsible. So that the anger of those using that road is aroused against the agitators.
Many farmer unions of Punjab stayed away from the recent Kisan Mahapanchayats held in Khanauri and Fatehabad in Haryana, as they said that they were not consulted. Now on the joint meeting, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Punjab President of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) said, “We will meet on Monday and discuss the future strategy. The idea is to unite all the factions which have the same objective. If there are any differences, they will be resolved. We have already submitted an eight-point charter for detailed discussion. We will forge unity to pressurise the Centre to accept our long-pending demands,” he said.
In view of the deteriorating health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 49 days, leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Apolitical) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) had requested a joint meeting of all. Monday’s meeting is a continuation of that series.
During the Moga “Mahapanchayat” on Thursday, the national SKM had passed a “unity resolution”, emphasising the need for broad unity among various unions to pressurise their long-standing demands.
All the three forums – National SKM, SKM (Apolitical) and KMM – met Dallewal together on Friday. It was decided there to chalk out a future strategy. Apart from a legal guarantee for MSP, farmers are demanding implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm loan waiver, no hike in power tariff, withdrawal of police cases and justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in 2021, restoration of the Land Acquisition Act 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers killed during the agitation in 2020-21, among others.
In February 2024, Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai met with farmer leaders several times but the talks remained inconclusive, leading to protests by both unions. The farmers’ Delhi march was also stopped by the Haryana Police. Whenever the farmers tried to march to Delhi from both the borders, they were stopped by the lathi and water cannon of the Haryana Police.
Another farmer dies
Jagga Singh (80) of Godara village in Faridkot died on Sunday at the government Rajinder Hospital, Patiala. He suffered paralysis during the protest at Khanauri Morcha 10 days ago and was admitted to Rajinder Hospital for treatment. Last week, farmer Resham Singh committed suicide. He had said that the Modi government is not listening to the farmers. What other way do we have. This news was suppressed by the so-called national media. Before Resham Singh, 57-year-old Ranjodh Singh of Ratanheri village near Khanna had consumed pesticide during the farmers’ protest at Shambhu border on December 14. He later died on December 18.
So far 34 farmers have died since the protest began on February 13, including 22-year-old Shubhkaran Singh, who is alleged to have been shot dead during a protest at Khanauri border on February 21 last year. He was shot at with a pellet gun. Haryana Police flatly denied the allegations.