A meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) was held at Karnail Singh Issru Bhawan here recently under the leadership of Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Prem Singh Bhangu and Balwinder Singh Raju, during which issues confronting farmers across the state and the country were discussed at length.
The meeting called for all toll plazas across Punjab to be made toll-free on July 22 from noon to 3 pm. It also decided to stage dharnas outside the residences of BJP leaders in protest against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
The SKM strongly opposed the proposed trade agreements, alleging that these would open the country’s vast market to foreign investors and traders.
Leaders said the agreements would allow global capital and trade to overwhelm the domestic market and economy, adversely affecting the livelihoods of ordinary people. According to the SKM, the agreements were aimed at benefiting multinational companies.
They alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was keeping the public in the dark while gradually surrendering to the US President Donald Trump-led administration. They claimed the government was determined to open the agriculture and dairy sectors to foreign trade, a move they said would devastate farming and allied sectors across the country.
Taking serious note of the prevailing power crisis in Punjab, the meeting called upon farmers across the state to gherao power grids, demanding an uninterrupted eight-hour electricity supply for agricultural tubewells.
