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SKM’s all India Convention begins at Singhu border

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 07:04:54 +0000

As farmers complete nine months of protest at the national capital’s borders, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) organised its first all-India convention on August 26, 2021 morning at the Singhu border. Over 2,000 men and women farmer representatives from around 25 states arrived for the meeting that is to continue until August 27 noon. Further, leaders of workers, agricultural laborers, women, youth, students, Dalits and tribal organisations also participated in the convention to discuss the intensification of the farmers’ struggle.

During the meeting, participants paid tribute to about 600 farmers who have been martyred since November 26, 2020. Participants included delegates from 22 states representing more than 300 farmer and agricultural workers’ groups, 18 all-India trade unions, 9 women’s organisations and 17 student and youth organisations.

On Thursday, the convention had three sessions, the first of which concerned the three farm laws decried by the farming community. The second session addressed issues of industrial workers and the third session pertained to agricultural workers, rural poor and tribal issues.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait inaugurated the meeting, while SKM member Ashish Mittal moved the main resolution. Other leaders like Hannan Mollah, Darshan Pal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Medha Patkar, Jagjit Singh Dalewal, Gurnam Singh Chadhuni and others also addressed the meeting. As many as 15 speakers per session deliberated, contributed and enriched the resolution placed in the meeting.

“Speakers emphasised about the deep transformations that the farmers’ movement has brought about amongst farming communities, and the many positive outcomes already being experienced due to the prolonged protest,” said Mollah. Trade union leaders addressed the gathering about the “undemocratic and anti-people” four labour codes that were imposed on workers.

“Delegates which called upon the people to intensify and expand the ongoing struggle across the country so that Modi Govt be forced to repeal the 3 anti-farm laws and give a legal guarantee of MSP,” said All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) President Ashok Dhawale, presiding over the inaugural session.

Mission UP-Uttarakhand

Meanwhile, lakhs of farmers attended a maha panchayat in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate ‘Mission Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand’ on September 5. The group is soon to release a resolution calling upon people to denounce the “anti-people and corporate-oriented Modi-Shah-led BJP government.”

“The carefully orchestrated and curated drama that was created for its PR effect by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath yesterday [August 25] maligned the ongoing farmers’ movement. However, Mission UP plans of SKM will soon be dispelling these efforts of the BJP government,” said the SKM.

Farmers in Uttar Pradesh said the BJP government’s nervousness towards the farmers’ struggle is visible from the meagre sugarcane SAP (State Advised Price) hike and Adityanath’s promise of completing pending payments from 2010 before the crushing season.

Sugarcane prices, “highest ever”?

The Union government on August 25 announced what it called “the highest ever” Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane. The price approved for sugar season 2021-22 that is compulsorily payable by sugar mills is Rs. 290 per quintal for a recovery rate of 10 percent.

However, the actual hike in prices is a meagre Rs. 5 per quintal. Farmers called this hike “an insult to sugarcane farmers of India”.

“On the one hand, the CACP and the Centre advise that SAPs of sugarcane should not be hiked in a differential manner across states and on the other hand, the FRP is not fixed in a fair manner by the Modi Government. After the recent historic struggle of farmers of Punjab who secured a fifty rupees hike per quintal of sugarcane, it is clear once again that cost of production figures are being suppressed, and farmers’ hard toil is being exploited,” said the SKM.

Regarding the Indian government’s press release about record high procurement of sugarcane (after paddy procurement), farmers said that the purchase is done by sugar mills mandatorily at the announced price. Protesting farmers have been asking for such a remunerative price at C2+50 percent to be legally guaranteed for all agricultural produce as part of their major demands in the nationwide struggle.

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18-year-old dies at Singhu border on Yuva Kisan Diwas

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 12:52:30 +0000

Farmers’ Yuva Kisan Diwas was engulfed with sadness at the Singhu border, as news of an 18-year-old’s death at the protest site on February 25, 2021 night spread across the area over the day.

Navjot Singh, son of Jaswinder Singh, came from Kheri Jattan village in Punjab to join farmers in their movement against the three laws forcibly passed by the central government: the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance & Farm Services Act, the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

The youth also had plans to city farmers in one of the scheduled protest events of the struggle wherein youth leaders sat on the stage instead of veteran farmer leaders. Alas! He died before he could due to sudden worsening of health causing a wave of mourning in his village as well. Singh’s death brings the total farmers’ death toll to 265, as per the farmers’ blog that maintains a record of people who died while participating in the struggle. The website was last updated on February 24.

Previously another 18-year-old boy, Jashanpreet Singh, died at the Tikri border on January 2, due to a heart attack. His family was part of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan).

Similarly, a 16-year-old boy Gurvinder Singh died on December 17, 2020 at the Punjab-Delhi highway. According to reports, he fell off the tractor while enroute to Delhi and was hit by a truck.

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Singhu Border: Stone-pelting, lathi-charge, tear gas shelling, but protesters remain calm

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 14:22:20 +0000

Image Courtesy:outlookindia.com

A day after a right-wing Hindutva group threatened protesters, an altercation at Singhu border resulted in lathi-charge and tear-gas shelling by Delhi police to fend off stone-pelters claiming to be local residents.

According to protester and part of the “kitab langar” (book langar) group Lovepreet, the stone-pelters have been visiting the protest site since January 28, demanding that farmers leave Singhu border for allegedly disrespecting the national flag on Republic Day.

“These people have been approaching the barricade for the last two days. Yesterday, they hardly came for an hour but the media hyped the incident. They are just RSS-BJP people who are trying to create chaos,” Lovepreet told SabrangIndia.

However, on Friday, the miscreants succeeded in disrupting the peace in the area by hurling stones at the police and nearby farmers. Police resorted to lathi-charge of both groups once the stone-pelters succeeded in breaking through the barricades.

According to The Hindu, the Alipur SHO was injured during the altercation by a protester carrying a sword. He was later arrested. The internet was shut-down in the area and continues to be suspended as of Friday night. Protesters also claimed infrequent electricity throughout the day.

Similarly, Lovepreet also said people in the vicinity were injured although the exact number of wounded people is unknown.

Finally, the situation was brought under control by the police and volunteers of farmers’ Unions. More security forces have been stationed in the region in light of consecutive incidents. Despite the short duration of the attack, it received wide coverage from media houses.

Some news channels such as NDTV questioned how people managed to enter the area when Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain and City Jal Board Chairman Raghav Chadha were not allowed to supply 12 water tankers to protesting farmers.

https://www.facebook.com/raghavchadhaca/videos/2833844540167441/

However, there is no concern of food or water within the protest area because farmers claim that real local residents provide basic amenities to the protesters.

“You can come here and talk to the locals. No one is telling us to go back. These people come from outside and tell us to go back. However, leaders have told us to maintain peace,” said Lovepreet.

Farmer leaders are yet to officially comment on recent incidents at Singhu border. Instead, people at protest sites have been told repeatedly to maintain peace in keeping with the spirit of the freedom struggle.

Meanwhile, morale is healing slowly among protesters especially after a “sadbhavna” march from the protest point and along the KMP highway where people waved the tricolour flag and marched as a mark of social harmony. Farmers prepare for a hunger strike on January 30.

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