NEW DELHI, March 20 (PTI): Farmers’ outfit Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Monday said it will be forced to launch another protest if the government does not fulfil its demands, including a law on minimum support price (MSP), debt waiver and pension.
A 15-member SKM delegation met with union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan in the afternoon and submitted a demand charter, farmer leader Darshan Pal said.
“There are several unresolved issues and these demand another ‘andolan’. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmers unions to take out rallies in their respective states and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting,” he said, addressing the farmers who gathered at the Ramila Maidan here.
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“We do not want to protest daily but we are forced to do it. If the government does not heed our demands, we will launch another andolan which will be bigger than the protest against the farm laws,” he said.
Pal said the demands included a law for MSP, complete debt waiver, pension, crop insurance, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers and compensation to families of farmers who died during the protest against now-repealed farm laws.
The farmers also demanded the dismissal and incarceration of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and compensation for crop damage due to hail storm and unseasonal rains.
Pal said Tomar told the delegation that power subsidies to farmers have been exempt from the Electricity Act.
“This demand has already been met. It a big win for the SKM,” he said.
The minister told the delegation that the government has already issued directions to provide compensation for crop damage due to hail and unseasonal rains.
“We also discussed the issue of a legal guarantee for MSP with the minister. Tomar said he will personally intervene so that cases registered against farmers are withdrawn and compensation to families of deceased farmers is provided,” the farmer leader said.
“There are several unresolved issues and these call for another ‘andolan’. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmers unions to take out rallies and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting,” Pal said.
