Farmer leaders to meet today to chalk out future course of action

New Delhi: Farmers’ union leaders  will  meet on Monday in the national Capital to decide  the further course of action as the Central Government has not formed a committee for the minimum support price and other pending issues of agitating farmers.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar last month had  informed Parliament the Centre would set up a committee on minimum support price (MSP) once the upcoming Assembly polls in five States come to an end.

“Now the election results are out and the model code of conduct is over. It is the government to set up a committee on MSP and other issues. Farmers leaders are planning to meet on Monday in the national capital to chalk out future plans,” people who are aware of the development said. 

The agenda of the meeting is to review of assurance letter given by the government on 9th December 9, progress made so far in Lakhimpur Kheri case, national action plan on the MSP, scheme of martyrs memorial, decision on organisation those participated in the assembly polls in Punjab, rules and regulations of Samyukt Kisan Morcha and current fund situation.

In the recently concluded assembly polls, all candidates who have contested or fielded by farmers unions or ‘Samyukt Samaj Morcha’ , (SSM) lost their deposit in the recently concluded Assembly polls in Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh.

 The farmer leaders have been vocal against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly polls 2022, which they had supported in the 2017 Assembly elections and



the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and campaigned against the saffron party in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

This time they failed to make any impact despite year long successful protests at Delhi’s borders.

Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh’s founder member Binod Anand said that farmers’ leaders have lost their credibility when they decided to contest the assembly polls. “Besides, those who are funding them to continue the protest at Delhi’s borders refused to bear the expenses of elections. That’s the reason farmers union leaders proved damp squib in the assembly polls,” he added.

As per the poll body data, Samyukt Samaj Morcha chief Balbir Singh Rajewal (79), who was SKM coordinator playing key role in the farmers’ agitation, was also among the contestants who could not save his security deposit as he lost the poll battle from Samrala.

Rajewal got only 4,676 votes — 3.5% of the total votes polled. Lakhbir Singh Lakha Sidhana, an accused in the Red Fort violence case, was the only won who saved his security deposit as he finished number 2 in Maur after getting 28,091 votes (20.64% of the total votes polled).

SKM’s legal cell convenor and president of the All India Kisan Sabha Federation, Prem Singh Bhangu, was in fray from Patiala’s Ghanaur seat and managed to get only 1,681 votes.  Gurpreet Singh Kotli, a teacher and a marginal farmer who covered kisan agitation through his Facebook live feeds, managed to get 880 votes from Gidderbaha constituency.