SKM team calls on Narendra Singh Tomar: ‘We will wait till April 30

The farmers also held a day-long protest at New Delhi’s Ramleela Maidan. This nationwide mahapanchayat was held on the SKM call to protest against non-fulfilment of pending demands by the Union government.

Dr Darshan Pal, coordination committee member of SKM, said, “SKM submitted a memorandum to Union government to resolve all pending issues and immediately implement MSP guarantee law.” Dr Pal said the SKM will hold state conventions, all-India yatras and will mobilise people about farmer demands to make them aware of countrywide massive struggle to end corporate exploitation.

Patiala said, “Speakers at the mahapanchayat condemned

the debt-ridden Modi government for selling of farm sector, agriculture land, forests and natural resources to corporate profiteers.”

A large number of farmers from Punjab and Haryana had gone on trains and buses to attend the mahapanchayat. They started heading back towards their respective places after the programme was over.

Although the union leaders stated that the minister assured them that all the FIRs lodged against farmers during the farm agitation in different states of India will be withdrawn and families of the farmers who died during the agitation will be compensated financially and by given government jobs, the minister wasn’t much clear about the government’s commitment to provide MS on different crops. The matter of CBI searches on the premises of two farmer union leaders was also discussed with both the union leaders – Harinder Singh Lakhowal and Satnam Singh Behru whose premises were searched – being part of the delegation which met the Union minister.

The delegation submitted two memoranda to the minister. Discussions were held on various issues and the government agreed to engage in a dialogue with SKM on an ongoing basis to resolve the pending issues of farmers, said the SKM leaders.

The delegation comprised R Venkaiya (All India Kisan Sabha), Dr Sunilam (Kisan Sangharsh Samiti), Prem Singh Gehlawat (All India Kisan Mahasabha), V Venkatramaiya (All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha), Suresh Koth (Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union), Yudhvir Singh (Bhartiya Kisan Union), Hannan Mollah (All India Kisan Sabha), But Singh Burigill (BKU Dakaunda), Joginder Singh Ugraha (BKU Ugrahan), Satyawan (All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan), Avik Saha (Jai Kisan Andolan), Darshan Pal (Krantikari Kisan Union), Manjeet Rai (BKU Doaba), Harinder Lakhowal (BKU Lakhowal) and Satnam Singh Behru (Indian Farmers Association).