Cong expresses strong support to SKM for protests against govt 'betrayal'

The Congress on Monday expressed strong support for the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's (SKM) call for protests against the government for allegedly reneging on its promises to the farmers and for bringing in the Agnipath military recruitment scheme.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday expressed its disappointment against the Union government and accused the Centre of completely reneging on the written promises made to the farmers when the farmers protest was withdrawn on December 9 last year.

"It has been seven months since the Samyukta Kisan Morcha ended the agitation. Till now MSP and other demands have not been guaranteed. Ajay Mishra is still part of the cabinet," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi.

They are going to protest again for their demands and against the Agnipath scheme which is harmful for the sons of farmers, he said.

"We strongly support them," Ramesh asserted.

Three important decisions regarding the farmers' movement were taken at the national meet of representatives of all the farmers' organizations associated with the SKM, held in Ghaziabad on Sunday.

In a statement issued by the SKM, the farmers' body claimed that neither the committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been formed, nor the "false" cases registered against the farmers during the agitation had been withdrawn.

It also accused the government of not being ready to consider the biggest demand of the farmers -- a legal guarantee on MSP.

In protest against this alleged "betrayal" by the government, "Protest Against Betrayal" public meetings will be organized at district level, from the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 18 till July 31 -- the martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh -- across the country, the SKM said in its statement.

It has also been decided in the meeting that the farm organizations will mobilize unemployed youth and ex-servicemen against the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, which is "anti-national and anti-youth as well as anti-farmer", the statement had said.