Farm union welcomes Oppn support to stir

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a platform of farmer unions protesting three agricultural laws, on Monday “welcomed” the support offered by key Opposition parties to its planned mass demonstration on May 26, and asked them to mount the pressure on the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre to repeal a series of legislation passed last year. The farmers’ outfit, however, reiterated that it wouldn’t involve any political party in their agitation or negotiations.

“We have always said that only direct talks between the farmers and the government solve the issue. The government thinks it has freed itself from the issue. That’s why we are asking for talks,” said Gurnam Singh Charuni, a farm leader.

Farmers have been protesting at five sites in large camps near Delhi’s borders: Singhu, Ghaziabad, Tikri, Dhansa and at Shahjahanpur on the Rajasthan-Haryana border, demanding the rollback of three laws passed in September last year to lift restrictions on trade in farm produce. On May 21, the SKM wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking resumption of dialogue to end the agitation.

Farm leaders said they wanted to use the occasion to “keep things on the boil”. “We wrote to the prime minister because we have to keep things on the boil. The government cannot take it easy,” said Hannan Mollah, a key member of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.

The SKM’s statement comes a day after leaders of 12 opposition parties backed the farmers’ call for a nationwide protest on May 26 to mark six months of their protest against the farm laws.

Congress secretary Pranav Jha supported the protest call. “In this government, nothing can move without Modi’s consent. Only if he wants, the farm laws can be repealed. But the government’s strategy so far had been to tire out the farmers and waiting to see that they go away.”