Dallewal faction opts out of unity meeting, cites prior commitments
The unity talks called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in Chandigarh on February 12 have hit a roadblock, as leaders of the SKM (Non-Political), led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, announced on Tuesday that they would be unable to attend due to prior commitments
BATHINDA : The unity talks called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in Chandigarh on February 12 have hit a roadblock, as leaders of the SKM (Non-Political), led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, announced on Tuesday that they would be unable to attend due to prior commitments.
The talks are aimed at fostering unity among farmer unions against the central government’s new draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing (NPAFM).
Senior leaders of the non-political faction, currently protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, stated in Bathinda that the meeting was “ill-timed” since they are engaged in “mahapanchayats” from February 11 to 13.
While travelling to Ratanpura in Rajasthan for a kisan mahapanchayat, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur) state general secretary Kaka Singh Kotra explained that the SKM (Non-political) supports unity with other farmer groups but could not accommodate the meeting due to their scheduled events. These include public meetings in Ratanpura on February 11, at the Khanauri border on February 12 and at the Shambhu protest site on February 13.
“The events were planned to mark one year since the killing of young farmer Shubhkaran Singh in a firing by the Haryana Police. The three-day protests were finalised and made public on January 28. It would have been better if the SKM leaders had consulted us before fixing the meeting date,” said Kotra. However, he affirmed his union’s commitment to unity and suggested rescheduling the meeting.
Sarwan Singh Pandher, a top leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), had announced his participation in the February 12 meeting. Responding to this, SKM (Non-political) leader Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande clarified that KMM leaders, mostly stationed at the Shambhu border, had time to attend, whereas SKM (Non-Political) leaders were occupied with protests.
“SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have strong coordination and no differences. We have a meeting with the central government on February 14 regarding a legal guarantee on MSP and we urge farmers to share their feedback,” Hardojhande added.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan confirmed that the SKM (Non-Political) led by fasting leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has opted out of the upcoming unity talks called by the SKM in Chandigarh on February 12. Ugrahan said that the non-political faction sent a letter declining its participation.
Haryana-based farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said that SKM (Non-political) strongly opposes the National Policy Framework for Agricultural Marketing (NPFAM) draft and is considering launching an agitation against it soon.
The KMM and SKM (Non-Political) have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13 last year after security forces blocked their march to Delhi to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and other issues.
Pandher had on Monday warned that if the February 14 negotiations with the Union government fail, farmers will attempt to cross the Haryana border on February 25 to reach Delhi. “A group of 101 farmers will attempt to cross the border from the Shambhu protest site,” Pandher had said.
The Centre will hold a meeting with protesting farmers on February 14 in Chandigarh to discuss their demands. The breakthrough came after a delegation of officials from the Union agriculture ministry, led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, met veteran farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and held a meeting with the representatives of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM on January 18.
Four rounds of meetings had taken place between the central ministers and protesting farmers on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 last year, but all remained inconclusive.
(With inputs from HTC Sangrur)