Farmer protest: Delhi chalo march without tractor to resume from March 6

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Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which are jointly organising the current farmer protest in Punjab, have announced Sunday that farmers from different parts of the country will start their journey from March 6 to reach Delhi without tractors and also will hold a “Rail Roko” agitation on March 10 for four hours (12:00 pm to 4:00 pm).

Spokesman of the groups Mahesh Choudhary told businessline that farmers will march on whatever mode possible to reach Delhi, but will not ride through the tractors after the government objected to such transport. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar a few days ago had questioned the intentions of farmers in taking out the tractors to reach Delhi.

Choudhary also said that the protest will continue till the demands are met, even if the model code of conduct is enforced with the public announcement of poll schedule for the Lok Sabha election.

On March 1, the leaders of SKM (non-political) and KMM had said that they would not force entry to proceed towards Delhi and mobilise more number of farmers at different places of Punjab-Haryana border as the Haryana government has not been allowing them to use the highways passing through its territory by fencing with iron wire, nails and concrete boulders.

However, the change in the stand is seen by observers an afterthought following the announcement of SKM, the other group that spearheaded the farmers’ agitation of 2020-21, to hold a “Kisan Mahapanchayat” in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on March 14. Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal, who is part of SKM, had said that farmers would not travel to Delhi by tractor trolleys, but through buses and trains.

Appealing for a joint fight to the leadership spearheading the current farmer protest, which was paused after the death of a farmer due to alleged firing by Haryana Police, the SKM on Saturday had set some conditions including opposition to BJP and allied parties, before SKM (non-political) and KMM.

Though SKM said that the main target still is the Union government, the ruling BJP and its allied parties, it also said the united struggle has to uphold secular and pan-India character and be independent of political parties.

Even as the SKM (non-political) and the KMM rejected the Centre’s proposal of five-year guaranteed procurement of five crops at MSPs, the Centre has already rolled out the scheme for procurement of tur and maize crops and is likely to extend it to urad, masur and cotton, soon.

Farmers have been demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation for fixing minimum support prices (MSPs) at 50 per cent over and above C2 (comprehensive) costs of production (including imputed costs of own land), and a law to guarantee purchase of crops at MSP. Other demands include unconditional pension for farmers above 60 years of age, and farmers should be made completely debt-free.

Congress party has promised to implement legal guarantee of MSP if the INDIA block comes to power and this was reiterated by former Haryana chief minister Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday. Hooda said that farmers would not have been protesting now had the Centre brought a fourth law, alongside the three controversial farm laws (since repealed).