SKM to hold worker-farmer parliament at Jantar Mantar on March 9

Bathinda: The national council meeting of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has resolved to intensify independent as well as united struggles until all of their major demands are achieved, including forcing the central govt not to sign the India-US trade deal.The farmer body is also opposing the Electricity Amendment Bill, the Seed Bill, the four Labour Codes, and the VB – G Ram G Act, besides seeking a legal guarantee for MSP as per the C2+50% formula, loan waiver, and implementation of the LARR Act 2013.The SKM on Tuesday decided to soon hold coordination meetings with the platform of trade unions and agricultural workers unions to decide the final plan of united struggles.The SKM stated that they would take the struggle to the villages through public meetings until March 9, demanding that the President of India sack Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal and direct the PM not to sign the India-US trade deal.Farmers will take out processions to the post offices to send such open letters to the President, added the farmers' forum. SKM delegations will meet the chief ministers and the leaders of the opposition of the respective states on Feb 27, demanding that they fight the centralisation of power by the Union govt and protect the federal rights of the states, urge Parliament to amend the GST Act to restore the taxation power of the states, and allocate a 60% share, instead of the current 33%, of the divisible pool to the states, including the cess and surcharges, the forum added.The meeting further resolved to hold a worker-farmer parliament at Jantar Mantar on March 9, the 1st day of the next session of Parliament, along with the platforms of trade unions and agricultural workers.The SKM called upon all the state coordination committees to hold mahapanchayats across India from March 10 to April 13, starting from Barnala in Punjab.These mahapanchayats will explain the dangers of the India-US trade deal and other pro-corporate policies of the central govt and prepare for a long struggle in the future, while March 23 will be observed as anti-imperialist day across India, the SKM stated.The meeting also adopted a resolution to condemn the police repression unleashed on farmers' agitations in Punjab, Odisha, and Maharashtra.The letter sent by the SKM (Non Political) was also discussed in the meeting and it was decided to form a five-member committee comprising Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Yudhvir Singh, P Krishnaprasad, Raminder Singh Patiala, and Baldev Singh Nihalgarh to hold discussions with the group, the SKM added.The farmer body further stated that a 15-member panel would be formed to meet the committee formed by the Supreme Court on the farmers' demands on the MSP and related issues.MSID:: 128753354 413 |