Farmers Protest: SKM to organise Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat in Delhi. Details here

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a consortium of farmers' groups, will host a 'Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat' at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi to debate intensifying their protest against central government policies. With over 50,000 farmers from Punjab expected to attend, the SKM assures a peaceful gathering.

On SKM's call, the farmers said they would hold a foot march from Uchana to Jind before the Mahapanchayat. The Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat will adopt Sankalp Patra or letter of resolution to intensify the fight against the pro-corporate, communal, dictatorial policies of the Centre and the fight to save farming, food security, livelihood and the people from corporate loot.  

Farmers from Punjab began traveling to Delhi in over 800 buses, trucks, and trains on Wednesday. President of the Dhaner faction of BKU (Ekta-Dakunda) Manjit Dhaner said activists from 13 districts of all three regions boarded trains to reach Delhi, where they will stay in gurudwaras.

Farmer groups from western Uttar Pradesh are also expected to join the protest. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait accuses the police of deterring farmers from attending the protest.

The Delhi Police have permitted the protest at Ramlila Maidan with conditions such as no tractors, no weapons, and no marches in the city. Non-compliance may result in strict action. According to the Delhi Traffic Police advisory, several roads may be affected due to the gathering.

Alternative travel routes are suggested to avoid inconvenience. The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police caution commuters of possible slow traffic on Noida-Delhi routes due to the protest. Paramilitary forces are stationed at three Delhi borders to control the ongoing protest.

Protesting farmers have been stationed at two border points between Punjab and Haryana since almost a month. The protestors urged the government to address their demands, which include a law ensuring minimum support price (MSP) and the withdrawal of police cases against farmers involved in 2020-21 protests. 

During the previous round of talks between the Centre and the protesting farmers, the panel of three Union ministers offered to buy five crops-- moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize and cotton-- from farmers at MSP for a period of five years through central agencies. The protesting farmers rejected this offer and returned to their protest sites.