SKM asks BJP MPs, allies to support farmers' agitation

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Thursday appealed to the BJP MPs and its allies to extend their support to the farmers' movement.

The SKM also noted that they would continue their "peaceful social boycott" of leaders of the BJP and its allies.

"We request the BJP MPs and its allies and other elected representatives to support the farmers' movement. The SKM appeals to these leaders that they can support the movement in any form, including resignation from their posts," according to a statement released by the SKM.

It claimed that Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala was met with "fierce opposition" by the farmers during his visit to Hisar on Thursday.

"Farmers did not let the helicopter of the anti-farmer Dushyant Chautala take off," the statement claimed.

Chautala, whose Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is the coalition partner of the ruling BJP in Haryana, has faced repeated protests from farmers over the past few months for supporting the agricultural laws.

In Rajasthan's Hanumangarh too, farmers "gheraoed and protested against Pilibangan MLA Dharmendra Singh at Dabli toll plaza".

"At the time of the vote, they (leaders) become very friendly to the farmers and other people, but today when the farmers are struggling, he (Singh) is standing against them," the statement said.

It also said that 32 farmer organisations from Punjab and the SKM have decided to "move ahead with Lakha Sidhana and the associated youth force to intensify the farmers' movement".

Sidhana was named in a Delhi Police FIR in connection with the violence in Delhi on Republic Day.

The Centre has said the new farm laws will benefit farmers by freeing them from the clutches of middlemen and ushering in new technology in the sector.

However, farmers say these legislations will remove the safety net of the minimum support price (MSP) and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.