Farmers’ agitation is not over yet, says Rakesh Tikait

There are many bills against farmers’ interests, says Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader

Leader of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a federation of farmers and other organisations that have been running an agitation against three farm laws for a year, Rakesh Tikait has stated that it is the responsibility of every government in the country to come to the rescue of families of farmers who lost their lives during the on-going protest movement.

Speaking at a protest organised in Hyderabad on Thursday on the occasion of completion of one year of the farmers’ movement, Mr. Tikait said the position of some of the 750-odd farmer families whose members participated in the movement was very bad and they needed a helping hand. They were the farmers of the country and should not be identified with any region or State as they had been fighting for a common cause.

Stating that there was no leader for the movement, Mr. Tikait said every farmer and farmworker in the country was its leader although 40 among them had taken the lead in making and managing arrangements for the long-drawn battle. “If succeeded, the entire farming community of the country will benefit and the honours will go to 750-odd families whose members (farmers) have laid down their lives in the agitation”, the SKM leader said. He said the fight of the SKM was not over yet and even the first phase of it would be concluded only when the three farm laws were withdrawn formally with the help of a legislation in Parliament. However, the next phase would be much longer as they wanted the Union Government to recognise the SKM as a group to hold discussions from time to time on all issues related to the farming community and the farm sector.