Singhu Border, 13 October (Sangrami Lehar Bureao)- A day after the antim ardaas to the martyrs of the Lakhimpur Kheri Farmers Massacre, Samyukt Kisan Morcha once again reiterates its demand that Ajay Mishra Teni should be immediately sacked and arrested. His continuation as a Union Minister for Home Affairs compromises justice, and it is unimaginable that the Narendra Modi government is continuing to defend him, said SKM. Multiple videos exist of Ajay Mishra Teni’s outright threats to farmers protesting with black flags, and he flaunting his criminal antecedents; it is clear that he was promoting enmity, hatred and disharmony. Instead of apologising for not taking action on him earlier, the immoral Government of Mr Narendra Modi is actually defending him and thereby his son and his aides, and denying justice to innocent farmers, said SKM.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is the first Union Cabinet Minister who has said anything about the Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre and even she had to do so, when cornered with a question in Harvard University. However, even while she called it “absolutely condemnable violence”, she strangely enough sought to defend the Minister and other accused in a predictable ‘whataboutery’. It is inconceivable that the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre can be compared with other incidents, and with the BJP and senior ministers defending Ajay Mishra Teni this way, the hope for justice only got dimmer. Meanwhile, in Lakhimpur Kheri, many others who were clearly part of the massacre are still missing and UP Police is not nabbing them.
Cabinet Minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman is also trying to spin the same false narrative that the Modi government has been putting out, about the farmers not having raised any specific objections and explanations when it comes to the 3 anti-farmer laws. Farmers have stated in clear and understandable ways their basic objections to the 3 farm laws, and have also explained that amendments or mere suspension for a time period will not be a solution to the deeply problematic de-regulation of markets. What is more, farmers have been vindicated by official data emerging about mandis closing down or their incomes drastically dipping, as well as the fact that farmers are getting very low prices vis-a-vis the already-unfair MSPs that get announced. While the empirical evidence is clearly on the side of farmers and their analysis of the implications of the 3 laws, the government so far has not given a single reason as to why these laws cannot and will not be repealed by it. SKM urges Ms Sitharaman to get updated about her facts rather than just spin the same false narrative as other ministers.
Yesterday, in thousands of places across India, homage meetings and candle light vigils were organised in memory of the martyrs of Lakhimpur Kheri and for justice. In Tikunia, thousands of farmers participated in the antim ardaas and most SKM leaders were also present. From this prayer meeting in Tikunia, Shaheed Kalash Yatras have set off to different parts of India and to various districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Dussehra is celebrated all over India to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. It is a festival that symbolises the protection and restoration of dharma. On Dussehra, effigies of Ravan and others who symbolise evil are burnt, to show the destruction of evil. This year, on October 16th, constituents of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will mark the day by burning the effigies of Narendra Modi and many other BJP leaders including Ajay Mishra Teni.
Today, in Kerala, farmers are picketing central government offices all over the state, demanding action against Ajay Mishra Teni, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs who had a key role to play in the Lakhimpur Kheri Farmers Massacre. Meanwhile, around 500 transport workers affiliated with CITU Tamil Nadu have come to Singhu Border to join the farmers’ movement in solidarity and to strengthen the movement. The active participation and spread of the farmers’ movement to distant parts of India (distant from Delhi) should put to rest the statements of BJP-RSS people that the agitation is limited to only one or two states (Punjab and Haryana).
On the twelfth day of the Lokneeti Satyagraha Padayatra from Champaran to Varanasi, yatris left Phephna this morning and reached Devasthali by the afternoon. The yatris will reach Rasda by tonight. The yatra’s poser to Mr Narendra Modi today is: “Who is responsible for the migration of workers, and increasing disparity between the rich and the poor in our country”?
Farmers in various states are waiting anxiously for paddy procurement to begin in right earnest. This has not happened so far. In Rajasthan, farmers are protesting for procurement as well as action on police officials who had unleashed violent lathicharge on peacefully protesting farmers including many elderly farmers. In Haryana, farmers are protesting to demand procurement of bajra also. Meanwhile, in Punjab and Haryana, farmers are also waiting for compensation for losses incurred in cotton crop due to pink bollworm infestation. Elsewhere, in Maharashtra and Karnataka, farmers are demanding natural disaster compensation for crop losses incurred due to excessive rains. In several places in Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, sugarcane farmers are protesting for better prices as well as re-opening of closed sugar mills. The ongoing farmers’ movement is providing strength and inspiration to all these farmers to struggle for their rights and entitlements, and do so in a peaceful manner.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha expresses its concerns with the proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act 1980 that would lead to dilution of the Forest Rights Act 2006 which is already suffering from lack of implementation in letter and spirit. The proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, starting from a re-defining of a “forest” are to create a pathway to hand over natural resources to corporates, and would lead to denial of even basic livelihoods for forest-dependent and forest-dwelling communities. The historical injustice meted out to adivasis in India, who are largely responsible for sustainable resource conservation and management, will be further worsened by the proposed amendments. The proposed amendments will also take away from the constitutional powers of local governance structures, and will centralise power and decision-making. This seems to be the common unconstitutional theme being pursued by the Modi government in legal changes in sectors that directly impact farmers’ and workers’ livelihoods in the country. Samyukt Kisan Morcha strongly demands that the proposed amendments are withdrawn, and condemns the anti-people proposals of the Modi Government.
At the time of this press note being released, there is a large gathering of farmers protesting in Gohana in Sonipat district of Haryana, against the arrival of state Chief Minister Mr Manohar Lal Khattar there. Farmers have assembled with black flags outside the Devilal Stadium where the CM was expected to land on the helipad. However, looking at the large gathering of farmers, it is unclear if the CM will actually come to Gohana. Farmers had earlier issued a warning against his participation.