SKM observes 'Vishwasghat Diwas' across India today: Why farmers continue to protest against Centre

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) is observing 31 January as ‘Vishwasghat Diwas’ (betrayal day) in at least 500 districts of the country against the BJP-led Centre government. The umbrella body of farmer unions has vowed it will organise major demonstrations at district and block levels. It announced to go ahead with ‘Mission Uttar Pradesh’ (UP) and asked people to not to vote for the BJP in the upcoming elections.   This stems from the farmers’ protests, which began under the SKM banner in November 2020, demanding the withdrawal of three contentious farm laws that were introduced by the BJP-led Centre. The farmers, who occupied key border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur for over a year, also demanded a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) of crops. The protest was suspended after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2021 announced that the contentious farm laws would be rolled back, leading to the protestors eventually vacating Delhi borders in December. Why are the farm unions protesting against the Centre now – On Monday, Rakesh Tikait, the national spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), one of the constituents of SKM, claimed the over-a-year-long protest at Delhi’s borders was withdrawn on the basis of a letter of promises by the government on 9 December but those remain unfulfilled. – The farmers’ body said that the government’s anti-farmer stand is evident from the fact that even after January 15, it has not fulfilled any of the promises made in its letter dated December 9, 2021. – SKM also blasted the Centre for not forming a committee on MSP. – It said that the government did not fulfil its promise of immediate withdrawal of cases filed against farmer protesters, or on compensation to the families of those who died during the year-long agitation. What was in the Centre’s letter – The letter referred to the five main demands of farmers which were pending after the three contentious farm laws were repealed in Parliament in November. – The prime minister and later the Union Agriculture Minister announced to form a committee on MSP which will have as its member officials from central and state governments, representatives of farm unions, and agriculture scientists. – It also clarified that the committee will also include members of SKM. The status quo will be maintained on procurement of crops on MSP in the country, the letter said. – The letter also clarified that governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana have agreed to withdraw cases against farmers with immediate effect. – Cases registered against farmers and supporters in Delhi and Union Territories will also be withdrawn. The central government will appeal to other state governments too to start the process to withdraw cases against protestors of the movement. – In the letter, the Centre informed farmers that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments have given an in-principle approval to provide compensation to kin of family members of farmers who died during the agitation. – The letter also clarified that the Electricity Amendment Bill will not be tabled in Parliament until the government discusses provisions impacting farmers with SKM and other stakeholders. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.