Bharat Ratna welcome, not the diversion: SKM

Samyukt Kisan Morcha calls for a gramin bandh on February 16

Bharat Ratna welcome, not the diversion: SKM

Members of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) hold demonstrations after Central Labour Organisation and Samyukta Kisan Morcha call for gramin bandh. Pic/PTI

Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Saturday welcomed the conferring of Bharat Ratna on Chaudhary Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan but termed it an attempt to divert people’s attention from government’s failure to provide Minimum Support Price for crops as suggested by the Swaminathan committee. In a statement, the SKM also said Singh and Swaminathan will remain alive in people’s memory for their contribution to farmers even without a Bharat Ratna and “denounced” Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to solve the crisis of farmers of India.

“SKM welcomes BJP government’s late recognition of Chaudhary Charan Singh and due recognition of Dr MS Swaminathan for their contribution to agriculture and farmers in conferring Bharat Ratna on them. While Chaudhary Charan Singh had a role in implementation of Zamindari Abolition in UP leading to ownership rights for peasantry, as the Chairman of the National Farmers’ Commission, Dr MS Swaminathan made recommendations for income guarantee to farmers,” the SKM said in a statement.

“SKM denounces PM Modi for failing to solve the crisis of farmers of India. Farmers are reeling under pressure of high input cost and poor govt infrastructure and services in agriculture, including seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, electricity, diesel, irrigation, machinery, post harvest facilities, storage and cold storage facilities, marketing yards, food processing facilities, marketing,” it said. The SKM and Joint Platform for CTUs have announced a nationwide gramin bandh and industrial strike on February 16.

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