Mahesh Kumar
A Kisan Mahapanchayat held at Tohana, Haryana, on Saturday (January 4), convened by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), passed a resolution opposing the newly announced draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.
The policy was deemed “more dangerous” than the three controversial farm laws repealed earlier.
Thousands of farmers attended the gathering, calling for stronger unity among farmers and expressing solidarity with the ongoing struggles at the Khanauri and Shambu borders in Punjab.
Prominent leaders like P. Krishnaprasad, Finance Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), and Master Balbir Singh, President of the Haryana Kisan Sabha, addressed the gathering. SKM leader Rakesh Tikait issued a stern warning to the central government, cautioning that farmers might resume protests at Delhi’s borders if the policy draft is not withdrawn.
Tikait criticized the draft framework for undermining the federal rights of state governments and ignoring the interests of farmers, agricultural workers, small producers, and traders.
He pointed out the absence of provisions for ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) and fair wages, which could severely impact rural livelihoods.
“We are organizing panchayats nationwide, and a similar resolution will be adopted in a meeting on January 7,” Tikait announced.
Referring to farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Tikait warned the government of serious consequences if Dallewal's well-being was compromised.
The Mahapanchayat issued a statement urging the Narendra Modi-led NDA government to engage in dialogue with all farmer organizations and uphold democratic principles. It emphasized that no one is above the rule of law and called for immediate action to address Dallewal’s situation.
“The farmers warned the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the authoritarian attitude and demanded him to respect democratic principles of governance. Nobody is above the rule of law in a democrcy. The NDA3 Government must hold discussions with all farmer organisations and save the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal at once,” the statement from the SKM said.
Farmers in Haryana resolved to write letters to the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, demanding the withdrawal of what they termed a “pro-corporate” policy framework.
The meeting also mourned the tragic deaths of three women farmers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) in a road accident while traveling from Kotha Guru Ka village in Punjab's Bathinda district to Tohana.
“The Maha panchayat condoled the death of these martyrs of the Kisan movement and demanded the State Government of Punjab to provide compensation of Rs.10 lakh and one government employment to each families of the victims,” the statement said.
The SKM reiterated its criticism of the draft policy for excluding provisions for a remunerative MSP, a key recommendation of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) led by the late M.S. Swaminathan.
The omission, the SKM argued, undermines the central demand of the ongoing farmers’ movement and highlights the need for political parties to clarify their positions on the proposed agricultural marketing policy.
The policy was deemed “more dangerous” than the three controversial farm laws repealed earlier.
Thousands of farmers attended the gathering, calling for stronger unity among farmers and expressing solidarity with the ongoing struggles at the Khanauri and Shambu borders in Punjab.
Prominent leaders like P. Krishnaprasad, Finance Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), and Master Balbir Singh, President of the Haryana Kisan Sabha, addressed the gathering. SKM leader Rakesh Tikait issued a stern warning to the central government, cautioning that farmers might resume protests at Delhi’s borders if the policy draft is not withdrawn.
Tikait criticized the draft framework for undermining the federal rights of state governments and ignoring the interests of farmers, agricultural workers, small producers, and traders.
He pointed out the absence of provisions for ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) and fair wages, which could severely impact rural livelihoods.
“We are organizing panchayats nationwide, and a similar resolution will be adopted in a meeting on January 7,” Tikait announced.
Referring to farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Tikait warned the government of serious consequences if Dallewal's well-being was compromised.
The Mahapanchayat issued a statement urging the Narendra Modi-led NDA government to engage in dialogue with all farmer organizations and uphold democratic principles. It emphasized that no one is above the rule of law and called for immediate action to address Dallewal’s situation.
“The farmers warned the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the authoritarian attitude and demanded him to respect democratic principles of governance. Nobody is above the rule of law in a democrcy. The NDA3 Government must hold discussions with all farmer organisations and save the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal at once,” the statement from the SKM said.
Farmers in Haryana resolved to write letters to the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, demanding the withdrawal of what they termed a “pro-corporate” policy framework.
The meeting also mourned the tragic deaths of three women farmers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) in a road accident while traveling from Kotha Guru Ka village in Punjab's Bathinda district to Tohana.
“The Maha panchayat condoled the death of these martyrs of the Kisan movement and demanded the State Government of Punjab to provide compensation of Rs.10 lakh and one government employment to each families of the victims,” the statement said.
The SKM reiterated its criticism of the draft policy for excluding provisions for a remunerative MSP, a key recommendation of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) led by the late M.S. Swaminathan.
The omission, the SKM argued, undermines the central demand of the ongoing farmers’ movement and highlights the need for political parties to clarify their positions on the proposed agricultural marketing policy.
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