SKM urges voters to ‘remove anti-farmer Modi government’

File image to represent. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Thursday appealed to the people to ensure a change of government so that politics can change. In a statement issued here, SKM accused the Narendra Modi government of implementing policies that worsened the economic situation of farmers, adding that the farm laws now abolished were intended to benefit corporates. “SKM urges people to punish the pro-corporate and anti-farmer BJP government at the Centre,” SKM said in a statement.

“The Modi government has formulated and implemented a policy of deliberately worsening the economic conditions of farmers to aid and abet the grabbing of their land and push them out of agriculture. The three farm laws and free trade agreements were intended to promote corporations to take control of crop production and the food supply chain and monopolize them for profiteering and further oppression of ordinary people,” they said.

“SKM appeals to the people to ensure a change of government to change policies to make farmers debt-free, provide adequate public investment, interest-free loans to revive agriculture, ensure food security and eradicate poverty,” they said.

SKM, an umbrella body of farmers’ organizations that has been leading the agitation for the repeal of the three farm laws, also said it sees the general elections to the 18th Parliament as an opportunity to accelerate the fight against “corporatization of agriculture” and push for alternative agriculture policies and development of agriculture-based industries on agriculture.

The farmers’ organization has made a special appeal to Dalits, tribals and OBCs to “reject the BJP to protect reservation”. “SKM appeals to the people belonging to the Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities to unite and reject the BJP to protect their right of reservation from privatization, contract labor and the BJP’s no-recruitment policy. Due to the recruitment ban, over 30 million posts are lying vacant in various departments of the Union government, including railways,” they alleged. The seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections will be held on June 1, when 57 constituencies will go to polls.