SKM calls for R-Day tractor marches, urges PM Modi to address farmer issues

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday called for tractor marches across the country on January 26 and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold discussions with farmers over their pending demands.

The SKM's call comes amid growing concerns over the health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast for 48 days.

Dallewal, the convener of SKM (Non-Political), has been on the indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 last year over farmers' various demands including a legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

In a statement issued here, the SKM also announced that a meeting with SKM (Non-political) and KMM will be held on Monday for a joint struggle over demands, including MSP and the scrapping of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing (NPFAM).

"SKM called upon farmers to conduct Tractor/Vehicle/Motorcycle Parades on 26th January 2025, the 76th Republic Day, at the district/sub-division level across the country," it said in a statement.

"The farmers will parade demanding that the Prime Minister immediately convene discussions with all the Kisan organisations on the struggle and save the life of Jagjit Singh Dallewal, immediately withdraw the anti-farmer, anti-federal NPFAM, and enact a law for MSP at C2+50 per cent with legally guaranteed procurement," SKM added.

The demands also include a comprehensive loan waiver scheme for farmers and farm workers, no privatisation of electricity, no smart metres, provision of free electricity up to 300 units and implementation of the LARR Act 2013, among others.

All the State Coordination Committees (SCCs) of SKM will issue calls to protest against NPFAM by burning its copies.

"SKM strongly condemned the authoritarian, insensitive attitude of the Prime Minister for not willing to discuss with the Kisan organisations and to protect the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal," SKM said. The umbrella body of farmers' organisations, which led the 2020-21 farmers' protests against the now scrapped farm laws, alleged that the Supreme Court and the President of India have become "helpless to intervene to save the farmer leader's life despite his fast-unto-death struggle crossing 46 days."  "This is mainly due to the adamant stand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is surrendering to the rapacious corporate forces that are hell-bent on imposing their dominance on agriculture, industry, and services by denying minimum support price to farmers, minimum wage to workers, and destroying productive employment for the youth," they said.

"The people's livelihood is at stake due to the corporate onslaught through a series of pro-corporate reforms, the latest being the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, which challenges the federal structure of the Indian Union, one of the basic principles of the Indian Constitution," they added.

They further announced that a coordination meeting of SKM with SKM (Non-Political) and KMM will be held on 13th January at Patran, a town near Khanauri.

A six-member committee of SKM visited the Khanauri protest site on Friday and invited SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha for a meeting to unify farmer bodies for a joint fight against the Centre to secure farmers' demands.

The meeting was initially scheduled for January 15 in Patiala but was rescheduled due to Dallewal's health condition.