Haryana: SKM’s stir against India-US trade deal from March 9

SKM members to hold a worker-farmer parliament at Jantar Mantar on March 9, the first day of the next Parliament session; they have also called upon all the state coordination committees to hold mahapanchayats across India from March 10 till April 13

Opposing the proposed India-US trade agreement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) resolved to intensify its struggles during its national council meeting in Kurukshetra on Tuesday.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders addressing mediapersons in Kurukshetra on Tuesday.

Over 150 participants from nine states were present in the meeting that was presided over by a seven-member presidium, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Rakesh Tikait, Ashok Dhawale, Ashish Mittal, Jagmohan Singh, Rajan Kshirsagar and Joginder Singh Nain. The meeting resolved to hold a worker-farmer parliament at Jantar Mantar on March 9, the first day of the next Parliament session. They called upon all the state coordination committees to hold mahapanchayats across India from March 10, starting from Barnala in Punjab, till April 13.

Tikait said these mahapanchayats will rally tens of thousands of farmers to explain the “dangers” of the India-US trade pact and other policies of the central government. “We will take the struggle to the villages through public meetings until March 9, demanding that the President sack commerce minister Piyush Goyal, direct the PM not to sign the India-US trade deal, and direct finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman to withdraw a reported communication ending bonuses for wheat and paddy farmers. Farmers will take out processions to the post offices to send such open letters to the President,” he said.

The SKM would also campaign against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, the Seed Bill, four labour codes, and in favour of a legal guarantee on MSP as per the C2+50 per cent formula.The SKM will hold coordination meetings with the platform of trade unions and agricultural workers’ unions to decide the final plan for united struggles.

Soon, SKM delegations will meet chief ministers and opposition leaders in various states to oppose what it termed the Centre’s “centralisation of powers” and to demand restoration of states’ taxation powers under the GST Act and an increase in states’ share in the divisible tax pool from 33% to 60%.