DW BUREAU / CHANDIGARH

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) on Tuesday announced that it would not participate in the meeting called by the SKM on February 12 for unity talks, saying its leadership will be busy in its programme of 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' at the Khanauri protest site. The SKM (Non-Political)'s statement is at variance with that of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) which on Monday confirmed its participation in the SKM meeting.

The SKM (Non-Political) and KMM are spearheading the protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) for crops. The SKM has invited to talks both forums on February 12 at Chandigarh for a united fight against the Centre. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, SKM (Non-Political) leader Abhimanyu Kohar said on January 22, they had announced their programmes of 'Kisan Mahapanchayats' at Ratanpura in Rajasthan on February 11, Khanauri border on February 12 and Shambhu border on February 13 to mark the completion of one year of the ongoing protest at Khanauri and Shambhu border points.

He said they received the communication from the SKM about the February 12 meeting for unity talks on January 28.

Another farmer leader Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande said the SKM should have consulted them for fixing the next round of meetings with both the forums as they had already given their three-day programmes for February 11, 12 and 13.

"We could not attend the meeting fixed for February 12 as our leadership will be busy (for Kisan Mahapanchayat at Khanauri)," said Hardojhande.

KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Monday had said they would attend the meeting called by the SKM on February 12.

Earlier, two rounds of meetings between the SKM, SKM (Non-Political) and KMM on January 13 and 18 had remained inconclusive because of some differences.

The SKM has been pressing the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM to include the demand of opposing the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing in their 12-point demand charter. The SKM, which had led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws, is not part of the ongoing agitation of the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM. The Centre on January 18 invited the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM for talks to discuss their demands in a meeting to be held on February 14 at Chandigarh. Farmers, under the banner of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year, after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their various demands.

(editor@dailyworld.in)