SKM, AIKS Protest Appointment of Shivraj Chouhan as Agriculture Minister

New Delhi: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha in a statement issued in New Delhi strongly condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Development Alliance (NDA) government's decision to allocate the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was responsible for the killing of six farmers in Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) on June 6, 2017.

According to the statement, "The farmers were killed when they were participating in a movement to demand C2+50 as minimum support price, loan waiver. The farmers were also protesting against the increased incidents of farmers' suicide in the country. This decision of the NDA government is a symbol of the arrogance and insensitivity displayed by the previous governments formed with full majority in 2014 and 2019. It has created anger among farmers and rural people across the country."

The statement also expressed concern that “The first cabinet meeting of the NDA government has failed to address the growing agrarian crisis and farmer suicides (31 farmers are committing suicide every day across India) and has not taken any decision in favor of farmers on their long-pending demands such as guaranteed MSP on the formula of C2+50%, comprehensive loan waiver, cancellation of privatisation of power, reduction in the cost of production and assured insurance and pension. On the other hand, there is a hue and cry over the release of the outstanding amount of Rs 20,000 crore of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, an ongoing scheme under which an average of Rs 500 per month is given to each farmer family. This is unlikely to satisfy the farmers as it also hides the government’s reluctance to provide remunerative MSP to the peasant farmer and its policies to hand over the agriculture sector to the corporates.”

The statement also noted that “These decisions make it clear that the NDA and the BJP have not learned any lessons from their defeat in 159 rural constituencies, with the BJP alone losing 60 seats out of 63 seats. Farmers have no illusions that the BJP will make any changes to the corporate-oriented policies in agriculture. Farmers must join hands with workers, small traders, and small producers and prepare themselves for another round of mass movements across India. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha is committed to building a massive unity of the people and putting pressure on the NDA government to change its corporate-oriented policies for the development of the common people and turn the policies to the benefit of farmers and workers.”

In this context, the SKM has scheduled its general body meeting on July 10, 2024 in New Delhi to assess the post-election scenario. The meeting will be attended by leaders of SKM constituent farmer organisations from various states across the country.

The statement says, “The General Body will consider the future course of action on concrete demands including remunerative income, reduction in the cost of production, loan waiver, and a roadmap to implement an alternative policy focused on collective and cooperative farming, agro-based industrialization and marketing system supported by the public sector, as opposed to the policy of corporatization of agriculture.”

The statement also states, “SKM does not consider the slapping of MP and film actor Kangana Ranaut by a woman security guard as justified, but also criticizes her arrogant and malicious statements against the historic farmers' movement.”

According to the statement, a delegation of SKM will meet the families of the martyrs of Lakhimpur Kheri on June 13, 2024, and will continue to provide legal assistance to the farmers who have been wrongly implicated by the BJP-led state government in the incident.

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), a constituent of SKM, has also condemned the appointment of Chouhan as Agriculture Minister.

In a separate statement issued on Tuesday. AIKS also held Chouhan responsible for the Mandsaur incident in Madhya Pradesh, where six farmers were killed in police action during an agitation. AIKS also termed the Union Cabinet's decision to release the 17th installment of 'PM Kisan Nidhi' as an "eyewash" and accused the BJP-led NDA of not learning a lesson from its defeat in 159 rural constituencies.