Talks are on for unity between the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) and Sarwan Singh Pandher-led Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee.
“We have sent messages to them (Dallewal and Pandher) and hopefully the results will be positive,” said Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Dakounda, a constituent of the SKM.
“The agrarian fight is getting tougher and it is better we should be together,” he added.
On January 18, the SKM fixed a meeting to decide further course of action for agitation for the pending demands. Dallewal, who claims support of 42 farm bodies under the banner of the SKM (non-political), has planned a meeting on January 8 in which the matter will be discussed.
Pandher has been protesting separately from the SKM since the days of year-long protests at Delhi borders in 2020 against the three farm bills, and Dallewal had severed ties with the SKM when a section of farm bodies decided to contest the state assembly polls of 2022.
Later, both the farm bodies held a year-long protest at the Shambu borders against the state government seeking minimum support price (MSP) on all crops and were evicted in March.
“After all, unity has to take place and the SKM is not giving clarity on the demand for a law making MSP a legal guarantee,” said Dallewal. He added that on February 27, the SKM sent a written message for unity and several rounds of meetings were held but the matter ended nowhere. “They (SKM) were also opposed to my style of protest of fast unto death,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“After all, unity has to take place and the SKM is not giving clarity on the demand for a law making MSP a legal guarantee,” said Dallewal. He added that on February 27, the SKM sent a written message for unity and several rounds of meetings were held but the matter ended nowhere. “They (SKM) were also opposed to my style of protest of fast unto death,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“When our protest at Shambu gathered country wide support, the SKM was under pressure and they started making efforts to make an accord,” said the BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) president. Other demands put forward by the SKM (non-political) included the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report and complete debt waiver for the farmers.
“We are in favour of unity as in the past when we protested, though separately against the Punjab government’s land pooling policy, the government was forced to withdraw the policy,” Dallewal said.
Leaders of the SKM said that apart from the existing demands, other bills proposed by the Centre, including Seeds Bill and Electricity Amendment Act, 2025, also need to be opposed.
“We are also opposing the new laws, G RAM G and the setting up of nuclear power generation plants,” said Dakounda.