One year of farmers' protest: SKM to hold tractor march to Parliament daily during Winter Session from 29 Nov

New Delhi: To observe one year of the movement against the Centre’s three agri laws, 500 farmers will participate in a peaceful tractor march to Parliament every day during the Winter Session starting 29 November, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said on Tuesday.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the laws, which were stayed by the Supreme Court in January, at the Delhi borders since 26 November last year.

The SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions leading the stir, announced the tractor march after it held a meeting in Delhi.

Farmer leaders, who were present in the meeting, said that those participating in the tractor march will sit wherever the police will stop them.

In a statement, the amalgam said that it will observe one year of the movement on and after 26 November in a massive way all over India.

“The SKM decided that from 29 November until the end of this Parliament session, 500 selected farmer volunteers will move every day to Parliament in tractor trollies peacefully and with full discipline, to assert their rights to protest in the national capital,” the statement said.

This will be done to “increase the pressure” on the central government “to force it to concede the demands for which farmers across the country have launched a historic struggle”, it said.

Earlier in March too, farmers had taken out a foot march to Parliament to oppose the contentious three farm laws.

On 26 January, a tractor rally had turned violent with protesters breaking barricades, attacking security personnel and storming the Red Fort, where they hoisted a religious flag.

Farmer leader and a representative of the Rashtriya Kisan Majdoor Sabha Abhimanyu Kohar said that farmers will sit in protest wherever the Delhi Police stops them on their way to Parliament.

He said that any decision about the route finalisation and the police permission for the tractor march will be taken later.

“In today’s meeting, only the tractor march was decided. Modalities about the route and permission will be decided in a few days. On our way to Parliament, if the police stop us we will sit wherever we will be stopped,” Kohar told PTI.

He said that the tractor march will be peaceful and taken out in a disciplined manner.

“We believe in peace and non-violence. There will be no connection,” Kohar said.

The SKM statement also said that on 26 November, there will be huge mobilisations from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan at all the Delhi borders.

“All farm unions in the SKM will mobilise farmers in strength for this occasion. Huge public meetings will be held there (at borders) that day. Homage will be paid to more than 650 martyrs in this struggle so far,” it said.

The SKM has also called for massive mahapanchayats in state capitals on 26 November. The Winter session of Parliament will begin on 29 November and go on till 23 December.

The three laws - The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 - were passed by Parliament in September last year.

During the 10th round of talks held on 20 January this year, the Centre had proposed to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their homes from Delhi’s borders, but the offer was rejected by the farmer unions.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporations. They are demanding a repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price.

The government has rejected their apprehensions as misplaced and has projected the laws as major reforms.