SKM defers tractor rally to Parliament, to announce next plan of action on Dec 4

With the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 set to be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament, the core committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said on Saturday that they will announce their next course of action on December 4.

Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 aims to roll back the three contentious farm laws passed by Parliament last year. In the business listed on the website of Lok Sabha, it is mentioned that Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will move to introduce a Bill to repeal 2020 Farm Bills. The minister will also move to amend the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Members of the SKM’s core committee, which met earlier in the day, said they want to analyse the statement released by Narendra Singh Tomar. They will decide on their future plan of action after going through the Bill.

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Meanwhile, the farmer unions’ umbrella body has decided to postpone farmers’ tractor rally to Parliament, which was slated to roll out on November 29, the first day of the Winter Session.

“When November 29 tractor rally call was given, the three laws were not withdrawn,” said SKM core committee member Darshan Pal.

The farmer leaders, however, took the call to carry on their agitation until the Centre agrees to hold talks over the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, the death of farmers during the protest at Delhi borders, and the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

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“We demand compensation, rehabilitation, of all farmers who have died in the protest. We demand cases be withdrawn. Lakhimpur Kheri accused should be punished. Union minister of state Ajay Misra should be suspended,” Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rajveer Singh Jadaun said.

#WATCH | In today’s meeting of SKM, we have decided to continue to protest until Govt holds talks with us over MSP, the death of farmers during the protest, & the Lakhimpur violence matter. We do not agree with Govt’s announcements today: BKU leader Rajveer Singh Jadaun in Delhi pic.twitter.com/8VKE4Iaojd

— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2021

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the three controversial farm laws would be withdrawn. Although farmer unions have welcomed the government’s move, they said their protest would continue until the laws are totally withdrawn and other demands are met.

WATCH | Farm laws gone, kranti still on: Are farmers changing goalposts?