SKM gives call for 'Raj Bhavan marches' across India on Nov 26 to mark 2nd anniv of farmers' stir

NEW DELHI: The Samtyukta Kisan Morcha Tuesday gave a call for 'Raj Bhavan marches' across the country on November 26 to mark the second anniversary of the farmers' agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws.

In a statement, the Samtyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of several farm unions, said that it will hold a meeting in Delhi on November 14 to give the final form to the Raj Bhavan marches and to finalise the memorandum to be submitted to the governors across the country.

The call to organise countrywide marches to Raj Bhavan was given in an online meeting of the SKM coordination committee and the drafting committee.

The meeting was attended by farmer leaders Hannan Mollah, Darshan Pal, Yudhvir Singh, Medha Patkar, Rajaram Singh, Atul Kumar Anjan, Satyavan, Ashok Dhawale, Avik Saha, Sukhdev Singh, Raminder Singh, Vikas Shishir and Dr Sunilam.

"In the meeting, it was decided that large marches of farmers to the Raj Bhavans will be held on November 26 to mark two years of the historic SKM-led farmers' struggle," the SKM statement said.

Farmer leaders said that preparations for the Raj Bhavan marches are underway in different states and preparatory meetings are being held.

They condemned the changes being made by the Central government in the rules of the Forest Conservation Act. They also decided to extend solidarity with tribal organisations who are fighting for their rights, on the occasion of martyr Birsa Munda's birth anniversary on November 15.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana laid siege at Delhi borders in November 2020 demanding that the Centre withdraw the three farm laws enacted earlier that year. The Narendra Modi government withdrew the farm laws in November 2021.

The protesting farmers had refused to clear the protest sites as they demanded the withdrawal of cases against farmers, legal guarantee on MSP and compensation to kin of farmers who died during the protest, among others.

The Centre on December 9 last year had agreed to consider their other pending demands and after that SKM announced to suspend their over a-year-long agitation.