Several farmer unions that helmed the year-long protest against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws have announced their entry into the political arena with the formation of a political front, Samyukt Samaj Morcha. The unions made a formal announcement after holding a meeting to finalise the contours of the front. The morcha will contest the polls from all 117 assembly seats, sources said.
The announcement came soon after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions that spearheaded the farmers’ agitation, said it will not be contesting the Punjab polls.
The SSM has agreed to contest the polls under the leadership of prominent farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal. “This is not a political party, it is a morcha. Winning the election is not our aim, we have not even registered ourselves as a political party. It is a front that will fight the elections from all 117 seats.”
Though the farmer unions have denied any alliance with the AAP, sources said behind-the-scene parleys were being held to arrive at an “understanding”. Reliable sources said a meeting between AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and farmer leaders led by Rajewal is soon expected.
Among 10 unions that have decided to stay away from the SSM are Krantikari Kisan Union (Dr Darshanpal), BKU Krantikari (Surjit Phool), BKU Sidhupur (Jagjit Dallewal), Azad Kisan Committee Doaba (Harpal Sangha), Jai Kisan Andolan (Gurbakhsh Barnala), Dasuha Ganna Sangharsh Committee (Sukhpal Daffar), Kisan Sangharsh Committee Punjab (Inderjit Kotbudha), Lok Bhalai Insaaf Welfare Society (Baldev Sirsa) and Kirti Kisan Union Punjab (Hardev Sandhu).
These unions have turned down Rajewal’s request to take the political plunge as they claimed that the agitation had only been postponed following the repeal of the three farm laws by the Centre.
In a massive victory for the farmers, the three contentious laws were scrapped on November 19.
SKM warns against using its name for poll purposes
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), however, has warned that no person or organisation should use its name for the elections. The SKM said it will not contest the elections, and that it will continue the mass struggle.
Leaders of the nine-member coordination committee, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Dr Darshan Pal, said the SKM, which is a platform of over 400 different ideological organisations across the country, was formed only on the issues of farmers. There was no call for the boycott of elections and no understanding over contesting elections, they added.
They further said the SKM was made by the people to demand for their rights and after the repeal of the three agricultural laws, the struggle had been postponed while the remaining demands were to be decided in a meeting on January 15, 2022.
“It is clarified that Samyukt Kisan Morcha has nothing to do with today’s declaration by some farmers organisations of Punjab to form a “Samyukt Samaj Morcha” for contesting assembly elections. The SKM stands by its policy of not allowing any political party to use its banner or stage. Any attempt to use the name of SKM for elections will constitute a grave violation of Morcha’s discipline. The forthcoming national meeting of SKM schedule for January 15 shall take a final decision on whether farmers organisations and leaders who take part in elections can remain within SKM,” the SKM said.
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