Farmers gear up for another round of long agitation

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)– an umbrella body of different organisations that spearheaded a year-long protest against farm laws during 2020-21– on Sunday decided to launch yet another round of intense agitation for the next six months, covering all poll-bound states going to election later this year, a TOI report stated.
The protests will primarily be focussed on their core demands including legal guarantee to procurement of all crops at minimum support price (MSP), arrest of minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra whose son is an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident of October 2021 and withdrawal of cases against farmers who participated in the protests during 2022-21.
Referring to the decision taken by the farmer leaders, All India Kisan Sabha leader Ashok Dhawale said the protests and agitations, to begin with, will be held in all states during May 26-31. “In the months of May, June and July, state and district level conventions of the SKM will be held in every state of India to galvanise and organise farmers and farm workers. Between August 1-15, mass protests in coordination with workers unions and organisations will be held,” said Dhawale.
The SKM has also planned “all-India Yatras” that will be held all over the country from September to mid-November.
“The Yatras will specially focus on states that will see assembly elections, such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana etc. We’ll appeal to people to vote against BJP in the state polls. We’ll, however, not say whom to vote for,” said farmer leader from Punjab, Darshan Pal.
The SKM has also decided to observe an “all-India Shaheedi Diwas” on October 3, the day of Lakhimpur Kheri incident in 2021 when eight persons including four protesting farmers died after being mowed down by a SUV, allegedly belonged to Ashish Mishra — son of junior home minister Ajay Mishra.
On November 26 – the day on which the protesting farmers reached the borders along Delhi in 2020, the SKM will celebrate “all-India Vijay Diwas” by way of holding day-night dharna for at least three days in all state capitals.
The SKM also “firmly and unequivocally” supported the protest of women wrestlers of India, who have been sitting on ‘dharna’ at Jantar Mantar, demanding arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Expressing their solidarity with the protesting wrestlers, a full delegation of SKM leaders visited the protest site and demanded immediate arrest of Singh.