The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella organisation of protesting farmers, has issued a “people’s whip” to the Members of Parliament to raise issues of farmers in the Monsoon Session beginning on July 19.
Farmers’ leaders told reporters at a press conference here in Singhu border that the whip is in line with the constitutional right of citizens to bring any matter of general public interest relating to the work of the Union government before Parliament and Parliamentarians.
The whip asks MPs to raise demands of ongoing agitations of farmers such as repeal of the three farm laws, enactment of a law to enforce MSP for all crops in both Houses of Parliament. The farmers’ outfits also asked MPs not to allow any business in both the Houses till the Centre accepts farmers’ demands on the floor of the Houses.
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“The MPs were also directed not to walk out of the Houses which enables the ruling party to do their business unhindered and even if the MPs are suspended by the Speaker/Chairman of the Houses, they should again go to the Houses to oppose the Centre. The people’s whip mentions that if the MPs fail to accede to the whip, the farmers will be compelled to oppose them on every stage,” the leaders of SKM said.
On each day of the session, batches of 200 farmer volunteers and leaders will march to Parliament House in a peaceful manner, the SKM said. The SKM also condemned the statement of Sikhs For Justice, an organisation based abroad. The SKM said Sikhs for Justice is a a separatist organisation and is anti farmer. “Neither SKM nor the farmers’ protest has anything to do with such organisations and SKM calls upon them to desist from attempts to deviate and derail the just cause of the farmers,” the statement of SKM added.