Preparation for national farmers’ convention in full swing: SKM
New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Tuesday said the preparation for an all-India convention of farmers is in full swing and it is receiving an enthusiastic response from across the country.
The SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions leading the agitation against the Centre’s contentious agricultural laws, had announced on Monday that it would hold the national convention on August 26-27 to mark the completion of nine months of the farmers’ protest.
The preparation for the all-India convention of farmers is in full swing, the SKM said in a statement.
“…enthusiastic response is being received from all over India. The national convention will see the presence of delegates from all states and union territories of India,” it said.
The future course of action of the farmers’ agitation will be jointly decided at the convention, it added.
The SKM said, “The central government has always tried to pretend that this historic farmers’ movement is limited to a few states, overlooking the fact that farmers all over the country are struggling to stay afloat.”
Thousands of farmers from across the country, particularly Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi borders, including Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, since November last year to demand the repeal of the three farm laws and a new law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
Farmers claim that these laws — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — will do away with the MSP, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.
The government maintains that these laws are pro-farmer.
Over 10 rounds of talks between the government and farmer leaders have failed to break the deadlock between the two sides.
