SKM announces next phase of movement to demand MSP guarantee

New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of over 40 farmers' unions, on Monday announced the next phase of its nationwide agitation. The SKM will observe April 11- April 17 as MSP Legal Guarantee Week.

The SKM also planned a nationwide protest on March 21 regarding the role of the government in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, wherein four farmers among others, were mowed down by a vehicle allegedly belonging to MoS Home Ajay Misra Teni.

In a meeting of all the organisations associated with the SKM at Gandhi Peace Foundation in Delhi, it was unanimously decided that during this week (April-11-17), all the constituent organisations associated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha will organise dharnas, demonstrations, seminars, demanding legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (C2+50 per cent) as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, to all farmers on all their agricultural produce.

After reviewing the legal process in the Lakhimpur Kheri case, concerns were expressed that the police administration and the prosecutors together are trying to protect the criminals and implicate the innocent farmers. "It is a matter of surprise that in such a serious case, the son of the Union Minister got bail so soon while the farmers implicated in the same case are still in jail," the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said and expressed serious concern at the news that a key witness in the case has been attacked after Monu Mishra's release.

The SKM decided that there would be no relaxation in the legal battle in this matter, and full legal help would be given by the Morcha to the families of the farmers, a statement after the meeting said.

The Morcha reviewed the written assurances given by the Central Government to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha on December 9 and found that even after three months, the government had not acted upon its key assurances. There is no trace of the assurance of forming a committee on MSP. Except Haryana, the police cases registered against the farmers during the agitation in other states have not been withdrawn. Delhi Police has spoken of partial withdrawal of some cases but there is no concrete information about that as well.

"Nothing has happened about the cases registered during Rail Rokos across the country," the SKM claimed.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has decided to organise a nationwide protest on March 21, regarding the role of the government in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, and the betrayal of the assurances given to the farmers' movement.

The Morcha reiterated that the SKM supports the call for Bharat Bandh by trade unions on March 28 and 29, and that farmers across the country will actively participate in it.

Representatives of farmers' organisations from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh participated in this meeting convened by the coordination committee of the SKM, statement said.