SKM Declares All India Struggle Programme
Ashok Dhawale
THE national meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) was held on April 30, 2023 at Delhi. More than 200 farmer leaders of constituent organisations attended. The three-member presidium of the meeting comprised Joginder Singh Ugrahan (president, BKU-Ekta Ugrahan), Ashok Dhawale (president, AIKS) and Tajinder Singh Virk (president, Tarai Kisan Sanghatan). Others who attended on behalf of the AIKS were Hannan Mollah, Vijoo Krishnan, P Krishnaprasad and Inderjit Singh.
This meeting was being held after the impressive SKM public meeting at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 20. After detailed discussion, the national meeting chalked out the struggle plan of action of the SKM for the coming six months.
SIX MONTH PLAN OF STRUGGLE
May 26-31: On the core issues of demand for a remunerative MSP law, liberation from debt, farmer and farm workers pension, comprehensive crop insurance scheme, arrest of farmer killer union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, withdrawal of false cases on farmers, compensation to Shaheed farmers families etc, from May 26-31, protests and agitations will be held in all states of India. This will include leading large protest marches to all members of parliament and key political leaders in their home constituencies and submitting memorandums to them, warning them to immediately resolve all farmers demands, failing which they will face further protests. Burning local issues of farmers in each state will also be included in the memorandum of that state.
May, June and July: In the months of May, June and July, state and district level conventions of the SKM shall be held in every state of India to galvanise and organise farmers and farm workers. Along with the organisations that are already in the SKM, an effort will be made to reach out to, and enlist the active support of, other farmers’ organisations too.
August 1-15: Between August 1-15, which includes Quit India Day August 9, mass protests in coordination with workers unions and organisations shall be held to put an end to the sale of the interest of farmers and workers to corporates by the union government.
September to mid-November: Between September to mid-November, massive all-India yatras will be held all over the country, which will be led by national leaders of the SKM. The yatras will specially focus on states that will see assembly elections, such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana etc. Along with the main national yatras, hundreds of local sub-yatras on foot or by vehicles will be organised by the SKM throughout the country.
October 3: On October 3, the day on which BJP leaders murdered four farmers and a journalist at Lakhimpur Kheri, an all-India Shaheedi Diwas would be held.
November 26-28: On November 26, the day on which the historic Dilli Chalo march of farmers reached the borders of Delhi, all-India Vijay Diwas would be celebrated by way of holding day-night dharna for at least three days in all state capitals. In many places this action will begin with farmers’ marches from various points on November 19, the day two years ago on which the prime minister was forced to announce a repeal of all three pro-corporate and anti-farmer farm laws, culminating in the mass dharnas from November 26.
THREE IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS
Apart from this plan of action, the SKM meeting also adopted the following resolutions:
1) SKM firmly and unequivocally supported the protest of women wrestlers of India, who have been sitting in dharna at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. SKM expressed solidarity with the sportspersons and demanded immediate arrest of the BJP MP. It also demanded the arrest of a Haryana minister Sandeep Singh, against whom also an FIR of sexual harassment was lodged by an international athlete on December 31, 2022. A full delegation of SKM leaders visited the protest site, met the sportspersons and conveyed the support of SKM to them.
2) SKM condemned the unleashing of central agencies like CBI by the BJP central government against former governor Satya Pal Malik, who has been a steadfast supporter of the farmers movement and SKM. Malik has been exposing the misdeeds of the BJP government with regard to the unnecessary loss of lives of our soldiers at Pulwama, corruption of the BJP leadership at the highest level etc. SKM lauded the bravery of Malik. SKM decided that it shall support all efforts to resist the attempts of the BJP government to muzzle Malik.
3) SKM condemned the de-recognition of the oldest unions of postal workers of India – National Federation of Postal Employees and All India Postal Employees’ Union – by the union government, allegedly because these unions supported the historic Delhi farmers struggle and donated some funds to farmers organisations. SKM expressed solidarity with the unions, demanded that their de-recognition be immediately withdrawn, and looked forward to increased worker-peasant unity against the anti-farmer, anti-worker BJP government.
All the above decisions were reported in a well-attended press conference at the Press Club of India in Delhi by Ashok Dhawale, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Tajinder Singh Virk, Darshan Pal, Hannan Mollah and Avik Saha.
