SKM protests Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s appointment as Agriculture Minister

New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday protested against the NDA government’s decision to allocate the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to Shivraj Singh Chouhan and held him responsible for the killing of six farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur in June 2017.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the SKM said the farmers were “murdered” while participating in the massive struggle for

MSP at the C2 plus 50 per cent formula given by the Swaminathan Commission, comprehensive loan waiver and against the growing trend of farmers’ suicide. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha also announced that a meeting of its general body will be held in Delhi on July 10 which will be attended by the leaders of the constituent farmer organisations from all over India.

“The decision symbolises arrogance and insensitivity exhibited by the former regimes of 2014 and 2019 with an absolute majority to the BJP. It has aroused wrath among the farmers and the rural people across the country,” the SKM said.

Six farmers were killed in June 2017 in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur after a group of farmers was fired at by the policemen and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which led the protests against the now

scrapped farm laws, said the NDA government did not take any decision to address the acute agrarian crisis and the farmers’ suicide in the first Cabinet meeting or on the long pending demands on MSP, among

other things.