Statement by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)
The historic movement led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, having succeeded in its first phase, is now entering the second phase.
After the repeal of the three black laws, a new phase of agitation has begun for the legal guarantee of MSP, against corporate control of agriculture, and other long-standing issues of the farmers. In this phase, the anti-farmer stand of the government is coming to the fore even more openly.
The conspiracy to save the killers of farmers and implicate the innocent farmers continues in Lakhimpur Kheri. The Union Government is reneging on its promises made to the farmers on December 9th, and is trying to impose anti-farmer laws and agreements through the back door. In such a situation, it is important that the farm movement should face this challenge by showing more strength and unity than before.
At such a critical juncture, any challenge against this historical unity will have to be resisted. In the national meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha on January 15th, it was decided by consensus that any farm union associated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha that forms a party in these elections, or any leader who contests the elections, will not remain in the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. The Morcha had also decided that, if needed, this decision would be reviewed in the month of April after the assembly elections.
Consequently, after this decision, farm unions and leaders who formed parties and contested elections in Punjab under the name of “Samyukta Samaj Morcha” and “Samyukta Sangharsh Party”, were out of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, at least till April. These organizations that contested the elections despite the instructions and warnings of the Morcha, were completely rejected by the farmers of Punjab.
The seven-member Coordination Committee of the Morcha had called a meeting of representatives of all the organizations at Gandhi Peace Foundation in Delhi on March 14th to decide the manner of reviewing the decision and the upcoming program of the Morcha. But without waiting for the decision of the Morcha, the people of “Samyukta Samaj Morcha” and “Samyukta Sangharsh Party” led by Shri Balbir Singh Rajewal and Shri Gurnam Singh Chaduni forcibly reached the meeting place and forcefully occupied the meeting hall and started a meeting in parallel. In order to avoid any untoward incident, the Coordination Committee decided that the delegates who came from all over the country on its invitation would hold their meeting in the open lawn outside. People intent on breaking the movement tried to disturb that meeting of the Morcha too, but they could not succeed. In this National Meet held under the leadership of the Coordination Committee, decisions were taken regarding the upcoming program of the Morcha. Although this episode helped in spreading the propaganda of the split of the Morcha to the opponents of the movement and the Godi media, we maintained silence for the unity of the Morcha.
But we were very astonished to see that these leaders have done the ridiculous act of dissolving the Coordination Committee of the Morcha and declaring themselves as Samyukta Kisan Morcha by issuing a statement in the name of Shri Balbir Singh Rajewal from Chandigarh. The statement also referred to the convening of a National Meeting of the Morcha at Lakhimpur Kheri on March 21st, while the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has decided to observe a nationwide Day of Protest on this day.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha once again makes it clear that there is no division in the Morcha. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has no relation to the farm organizations and leaders who formed “Samyukta Samaj Morcha” and “Samyukta Sangharsh Party” including Sarvshree Balbir Singh Rajewal and Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who disrupted the meeting. We still appeal to them to desist from any such act which threatens this historical unity of the farmers. We would like to warn all the farm organizations that any organization or leader who participates in the Lakhimpur Kheri meet on March 21st will be subject to disciplinary action in the Samyukta Kisan Morcha.
