Will ask farmers in poll-bound states to defeat BJP, says SKM
Farmers to block western peripheral of KMP Expressway on March 6 as the antifarm law protest near the national capital completes 100 days
We will not seek votes for any party. We will appeal to them to vote for those candidates who can defeat the BJP which failed to address our issues. BALBIR SINGH RAJEWAL, Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader
NEW DELHI : The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of nearly 40 farmer unions spearheading the anti- farm law protests at the Delhi borders, will send its leaders to pollbound states to appeal to the farming community there to defeat the BJP in the upcoming elections.
The protesting farmers will also block the KMP Expressway (western peripheral) on March 6 as the anti-farm law protest near Delhi completes 100 days. The expressway will be blocked at various points for five hours from 11 am on March 6, SKM leader Yogendra Yadav said.
The SKM leaders will hold a public meeting in Kolkata on March 12 to appeal to the farmers of poll-bound states to punish the BJP, Yadav said. Morcha leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said their teams will visit poll-bound
states, including West Bengal and Kerala, to appeal to farmers to defeat the BJP.
“We will not seek votes for any party. We will appeal to them to vote for those candidates who can defeat the BJP which has failed to address farmers’ issues,” Rajewal said at a joint press conference of the SKM at Singhu border.
Those who are sitting in power do not understand the
language of justice, Constitution or good and bad, Yadav said, adding that they only understand the language of power, elections and votes. “So, the farmers have decided to hurt them through votes. We are appealing to voters in five pollbound states to punish this party (BJP) and its allies who enacted anti-farmers laws, repressed farmers and tried to humiliate them,” Yadav said.
The morcha leaders will also visit Karnataka where farmers are getting at least Rs 1000 less than MSP on various crops, Yadav said. Farmers will also visit mandis, beginning from Gulbarga on March 5, to seek minimum support price for their produce.
On Women’s Day on March 8, women protesters will lead the protest at Delhi borders and other places across the country,
Yadav said. The SKM held a general body meeting of its constituents at the Singhu border on Monday, preparing its action plan for taking forward the movement.
The SKM has given a call to the people to install black flags at their houses and wear black armbands as a mark of support to the movement as it completes 100 days on March 6. The SKM has decided to support the central trade unions which are observing March 15 as ‘anti-privatisation’ day. The SKM will support the call of trade unions by marking it as ‘anti-corporatisation’ day, and extend solidarity to their protests on that day all over India, a statement by the outfit said.