ONE month after the suspension of the historic farmers’ struggle on December 11, 2021, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) met at the Singhu border on January 15, 2022. Over 250 leaders of various Kisan organisations attended. The four-member presidium of the meeting comprised Yudhvir Singh, Ashok Dhawale, Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Jagjit Singh Dallewal. The AIKS was also represented by P Krishnaprasad, Inderjit Singh and Sumit. Three important decisions were taken regarding the future programmes of the SKM.

Firstly, the SKM expressed its dismay and anger that the government of India has not fulfilled any of the promises of the letter dated December 9, 2021, on the basis of which it was decided to suspend the struggle and withdraw the morchas at the Delhi borders. This letter of the central government was quoted in full in these columns earlier. The only major assurance that was implemented was the repeal of the three hated farm laws by Parliament on November 29.  

However, no action has been taken by the union government and the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh state governments (all run by the BJP) on the promise of immediate withdrawal of the hundreds of police cases during the agitation. The BJP-led Haryana state government has only done some paperwork. The other state governments in the country have not even received a letter from the union government, asking them to withdraw the police cases related to the farmers’ struggle.

The Uttar Pradesh government has not initiated any action on giving compensation to the martyred farmers’ families. No announcement has been made by the Haryana government regarding the amount and nature of compensation. The only state government that had much earlier withdrawn the police cases and had given a compensation of five lakh rupees plus a permanent job to one member per family of the martyrs is Punjab because it is not run by the BJP.  

On the issue of MSP, the central government has neither announced the formation of the committee nor has given any information about the nature of the committee and its mandate.

On the Electricity Amendment Bill, no discussion has been held with the SKM as had been promised. However, this bill was not tabled in Parliament in its last winter session.

To protest against this betrayal of the farmers, the SKM has decided that on January 31, a ‘day of betrayal’ will be observed across the country and large protest demonstrations will be organised by thousands of farmers at the district and block levels.

Secondly, it is clear from the brazen attitude as regards the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre, of the BJP-led governments at the centre and in Uttar Pradesh led by Modi and Yogi, that they do not care about the dignity of public life. Despite the conspiracy that has been acknowledged in the SIT report, Ajay Mishra Teni, the main conspirator of this dastardly massacre, remaining in the union cabinet is adding salt to the wounds of the farmers. On the other hand, the Uttar Pradesh police are over-active in implicating and arresting the farmers named in this incident.

To oppose this, the SKM decided to begin a permanent morcha in Lakhimpur Kheri. From January 21, the SKM delegation led by Rakesh Tikait will visit Lakhimpur Kheri to plan this struggle. The SKM made it clear that ‘mission Uttar Pradesh’ against the BJP will continue, through which this anti-farmer politics will be taught a stinging lesson.

Thirdly, on February 23-24, the central trade unions of the country have called for a nationwide strike on issues like withdrawal of the four thoroughly reactionary labour codes, as well as on issues of a legal guarantee of MSP to farmers, against the privatisation drive of selling off the country, and against the massive price rise and spiralling unemployment. All these demands are directed against the anti-people, pro-corporate, communal and authoritarian BJP-RSS regime.

The SKM decided to endorse and support this call in the form of a nationwide rural strike. The central trade unions had supported all SKM action calls during the one-year-long struggle. The worker-peasant unity that was strengthened during the last year was one of the important achievements of these farmers’ and workers’ struggles. It will be taken forward on February 23-24.