Vivek Gupta 
Chandigarh: The possibility of a united farmers’ front leading the ongoing protest on the issue of legalising Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other issues is on the verge of becoming a reality.
Different factions of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which led the 2020-21 farmers’ protest on the borders of Delhi but later parted ways, decided to come together in Patiala on January 15 to end their differences and initiate a unified struggle against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.
The development comes a day after a 50-year-old farmer from Tarn Taran, Resham Singh, died by consuming an insecticide at the farmers’ camping site at Shambhu border near Haryana’s Ambala district.
Nearly 30 farmers have reportedly died due to various reasons in the current protest that has been spearheaded by a SKM faction group, SKM (Non-Political), and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), informed Guramnaeet Mangat, a protest leader.
Their protest will complete a year in February. But unlike the 2020-21 farmers’ protest that forced the BJP-led Centre to take back the contentious issue of three agriculture reform bills, the current protests failed to move beyond Punjab despite multiple attempts to pass through the Punjab-Haryana interstate borders.
One of the reasons is believed to be the lack of unity among farmer unions, which derailed their overall attempt to make the legal guarantee of MSP a national issue and subsequently take on the BJP government.
Unity on the cards now
Reviving their unity is on the cards now as a delegation of farmers led by SKM All India leaders, including Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Dr Darshan Pal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, reached the Khanauri border to meet SKM (Non-Political) convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal here on Friday, January 10.
Dallewal was also a known SKM face during the 2020-21 farmers’ protest. But once the protest got over, differences arose among its leaders which made him part ways, form his own front and start the ongoing protest for legalising MSP in February last year with the support of Sarwan Singh Pandher-led KMM.
However, despite his best efforts and even putting his life at stake as he entered the 46th day of his hunger strike today, the Centre refused to pay any heed and engage in talks with Dallewal and other faction leaders.
Also read: Amid Demand for MSP Guarantee, What Can Actually Protect Farmer Lives?
It has now turned into a flashpoint, with a call for collective action to counter the Central government’s alleged “anti-farmer” policies.
It began with SKM All India leaders passing the “Ekta Resolution” during their Mahapanchayat at Punjab’s Moga on Thursday, January 9, emphasising the need for unity among various unions to press for their long-standing demands. As a result of this resolution, the SKM delegation met Dallewal and decided to continue their talks on January 15 to revive their united front.
After meeting with Dallewal, SKM leader Balbir Rajewal told the media that the unions might have differences and different approaches but their target is the same, which is to take on the anti-farmer policies of the BJP-led Centre. On the other hand, SKM (Non-Political) leader Kaka Singh Kotra told the media that the government taunted the disunity of the farmer unions recently.
“Today, we have busted that myth being circulated by the government and proceeded towards forming a unified struggle that we had initiated during the Delhi protest. I hope the unions affiliated with SKM All India will join the Morcha at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders,” Kotra said.
What to expect in the meeting?
On January 15, the coordination committee of all stakeholders, including SKM All India, SKM (Non-Political) and KMM, will meet to form a common minimum programme and initiate a unified struggle against the BJP government at the Centre.
While legal guarantee to MSP is likely to be a central issue of their programme, other likely issues include rejection of an unfavourable draft national policy on agriculture marketing recently issued by the Union government.
Besides, debt relief for farmers and labourers may also feature in their joint programme. The farmer unions from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states may also join the protest if a forum is created for farmers, as anticipated by several farmer leaders.