Samyukt Kisan Morcha: will intensify agitation in coming days

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has said it will intensify agitation in the coming days as farmers' groups, along with trade unions and others, observed 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday.

The (Samyukt Kisan Morcha) SKM said its Punjab unit will hold a meeting on February 18 at Jalandhar, and it will be followed by the meetings of the NCC and and general body at New Delhi to take stock of developments and suggest the future course of action.

In a statement issued on the day of the bandh, the SKM also accused the Union government of "vitiating the atmosphere on farmers' issues" by not keeping its promises made when the 2020-21 sit-in protest at Delhi borders ended.

"The SKM has decided to immediately intensify agitation and it shall be done with multiple calls for massive actions in coordination with workers and all other sections of the people," the SKM said in a statement.

"The Narendra Modi government has deliberately vitiated the atmosphere on farmers' issues and hoodwinked people into believing that he is truthful and sincere," it said.

The SKM mentioned "promises" made by the government, which included a committee to consider granting a legal status to MSP and other demands in December 2021.

Seven months later, they formed one with those who were openly opposed to giving MSP, and crop diversification and zero budget natural farming were added on its agenda, the SKM alleged.

"Now, in the name of talks, they are mocking negotiations by sending ministers to the agitators at Shambhu to fool the people and keeping the points and progress in the discussion 'secret', thus putting farmers of the entire country in the dark," it further alleged.

The SKM said the bandh on Friday reflected "anger of the people against the brutal repression" by the Modi government and the BJP-led state government of Haryana on farmers at Punjab's Shambhu border.

"The anger of farmers against the corporate and communal policies of the Narendra Modi government has boiled over today with their huge participation in the Grameen Bharat Bandh," it said.

The SKM also claimed it was one of the largest-ever mass actions of the people in independent India, which helped bring back the issue of people's livelihood on the national agenda just ahead of the upcoming general elections.

"While in Punjab the protest has become almost a bandh, in all other states and Union Territories, shops, industries, markets, educational institutions and government offices remained closed in villages. Massive demonstrations and protest rallies were organised, in which lakhs of people participated with enthusiasm," it further claimed.