The Indian farmers’ unions are girding up loins to fight unitedly against the India US Trade Deal. On 24th February the major unions jolted under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) at Kurukshetra in Haryana and planned a Pan-India United Constant Struggle till Victory against the India US Trade Deal, including Other Vital Issues.
But, why does the India US Trade Deal incite the Indian farmers?
Interacting with our representative, SKM leader and National Vice-President of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Inderjeet Singh states, “The so-called agreement with US is actually a brazen sell out of national interests, its sovereignty, the crucial agriculture sector and wide range of industrial goods. India to abolish import tariffs to zero while US to impose 18 per cent on Indian goods exports to US. Even after holding the Trump tariffs as unconstitutional by the US Supreme court, India has not asserted its position against the one-sided free trade declaration. Now India must not sign the deal and rather align itself with other developing countries of the global South and blocks like BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation etc for holding negotiations jointly with developed countries as correctly suggested by Lula da Silva, President of Brazil last week in New Delhi”.
What Pan India agitational protests have been chalked out by the SKM to continue its struggle against the Indo-US Deal?
Sharing the steps to be taken against the deal as decided in the meeting of SKM in Kurukshetra on 24th February, Dr. Inderjeet divulged, “The National Council meeting of SKM has resolved to intensify independent struggles as well as united struggles with workers till all the major demands are achieved, such as not signing India US Trade Deal, no to the Electricity Bill, the Seed Bill, Four Labour Codes, the Gram-G Act and the main pending demands of legal guarantee for MSP@C2+50%, Loan Waiver and implementation of LARR Act 2013. SKM will have coordination meetings with the Platform of Trade Unions and Agricultural Workers Unions and decide the final plan of united struggles.”
In this meeting SKM finalised that the farmers’ umbrella will take the struggle to the villages through public meetings till 9th March, demanding that the President of India sack Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, direct the PM not to sign the anti-national India US Trade Deal, and direct the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman to withdraw the DO letter to end bonus to wheat and paddy farmers. Farmers will take out processions to the post offices to send such open letters to the President of India. The meeting decided to hold campaigns in villages that cultivate the affected crops such as apple, soya bean, cotton, maize etc.
SKM delegations will meet the Chief Ministers and the Leaders of the Opposition of the respective states demanding that they fight the centralisation of power by the Modi Government and protect the federal rights of the states, urge Parliament to amend the GST Act to restore the taxation power of the states, allocate 60% share instead of the current 33% of the divisible pool to states including cess and surcharges.
The meeting resolved to hold a Worker-Farmer Parliament at Jantar Mantar on 9th March, the first day of the next session of Parliament along with the platforms of Trade Unions and Agricultural Workers.
The SKM meet, wherein 150 participants from 9 states including Punjab, Haryana, Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra and Kerala attended the program, called upon all the state coordination committees to hold Mahapanchayats across India from 10th March starting from Barnala, Punjab to 13th April Jallianwala Bagh day. These Mahapanchayats will rally tens of thousands of farmers and explain the dangers of the India US Trade Deal and other pro-corporate policies of the Modi Government and prepare for a long struggle in the future.
A SKM release reveals that 23rd March Martyrs Day will be observed as Anti-Imperialist Day across India, the detailed plan for which will be worked out at the state level. The meeting also adopted a resolution to condemn the police repression unleashed on farmers’ agitations in Punjab, Odisha and Maharashtra.
The meeting presided over by a seven-member presidium which comprised of Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Rakesh Tikait, Dr Ashok Dhawale, Ashish Mittal, Jagmohan Singh, Rajan Kshirsagar, and Joginder Singh Nain discussed the letter sent by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha Non-Political (India) and decided to form a five-member committee consisting of Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Yudhvir Singh, P Krishnaprasad, Raminder Singh Patiala and Baldev Singh Nihalgarh to hold discussions with them. It was also decided that a 15-member committee will be formed to meet the committee formed by the Supreme Court on the farmers’ demands on MSP and related issues.
In pursuance to guidelines from SKM, Haryana state committee of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has endorsed the calls of struggles given by National Council of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha held on Tuesday at Kurukshetra.
Presided by Master Balbir Singh the state meeting, held on 26th February, was attended by all office bearers and district representatives. While addressing the meeting National Vice President Inderjit Singh explained how the unilateral and anti farmer trade deal with the United States was harmful for the already crisis ridden farmers in the wake of flooding of the vast Indian market by the US under the unequal deal. Other issues that came under sharpest criticism included treacherous attitude of Haryana government with regard to denial of genuine compensation on account of crop damages by floods, shielding of private insurance companies’ corruption scandals and inaction in the ghost paddy procurement scandal.
Showing uniformity with SKM, activists of Kisan Sabha will approach the farmers across the state before March 9 to make them aware of the threats posed by free trade agreements through abolition of import tariffs. AIKS will take part in the “parallel session” of farmers and workers to be organised jointly by Trade Unions and SKM at Jantar Mantar on 9 March when Parliament resumes its budget session to demand that the President of India direct the PM not to sign the anti-national India US Trade Deal, withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill, the Seeds Bill, Labour codes and restoration of MGNREGA.
As the SKM has decided to hold a Worker-Farmer Parliament at Jantar Mantar on 9th March, the first day of the next session of Parliament along with the platforms of Trade Unions and Agricultural Workers, will they succeed in entering Delhi? Will the BJP led central government, which barricaded the farmers’ entry for 13 months during the farmers’ agitation against three agricultural bills, allow the farmers to do so? Will it again be another tug of war between farmers and the government? The questions will get answers on 9th March.
Jag Mohan Thaken is a Senior Journalist, Columnist & Political Analyst, views are personal.
