The national convention of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of more than 500 farmers’ outfits, will be held on January 16 in Jalandhar. The meeting will discuss alternative agriculture and industrial policies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The farmers’ leaders will also chart strategies to defeat the BJP in the polls.
The SKM said in a release that around 1000 delegates of the constituent organisations from across the country will participate in the convention. “The Convention is to expose the pro-corporate economic policies of the BJP-led Narendra Modi Government, detrimental to farmers and workers and people at large, causing large scale unemployment, price rise, poverty, indebtedness, and unbridled rural migration,” a statement said here on Friday.
The meeting will also discuss the development narrative of the Centre based on GDP rate and the claims of the country becoming a three trillion-dollar economy. The SKM said such claims hide the decline in the per capita income, growing income inequality and denial of minimum support price to farmers and minimum wage to workers.
The SKM said two years have passed since they withdrew the agitations in Delhi, but the Prime Minister has not made good on any of the written assurances made to farmers including implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission‘s recommendations, waiving the debt of farmers and farm workers, stopping privatisation of electricity and placing of smart meters on farms and in farmers households.
“Farmers who faced natural disasters that ruined crops did not get insurance and adequate compensation in large parts of the country since the Pradhan Mantri Fazal Bima Yojna functions for corporate profiteering rather than protecting farmers and agriculture,” the statement said.
