New Delhi, Feb 26: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has lauded the Punjab Assembly's resolution opposing the Centre's draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing (NPFAM) and has urged other state governments to follow suit.
On Tuesday, the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the draft policy, describing it as a veiled attempt to reintroduce the three contentious farm laws repealed by the Union government in 2021. The NPFAM, as per the Centre, is designed to create a unified national agricultural market where farmers can access better pricing options for their produce.
However, SKM leaders, in a press conference on Wednesday, strongly criticized the move, accusing the Narendra Modi-led BJP government of attempting to undermine state autonomy and impose corporate-driven agricultural policies. "Punjab has once again demonstrated its resolve to lead the fight against corporate interests encroaching upon India's farming sector," SKM leaders stated.
The farmers' collective condemned the NPFAM as "an open attack on the rights of state governments," arguing that agriculture is a state subject under the Constitution of India. "The Centre must refrain from interfering in state jurisdiction and imposing policies that favor large corporations over farmers," they asserted.
Further accusing the BJP of prioritizing multinational corporations and big businesses, SKM urged all state chief ministers to reject the proposed policy framework and stand in solidarity with farmers resisting the corporatisation of agriculture.
In a move to escalate their opposition, SKM leaders announced plans for a nationwide campaign, mobilizing farmers at the grassroots level through village and panchayat meetings. The aim, they emphasized, is to build a movement even larger than the 2020-21 protests at Delhi borders, which forced the Centre to repeal the farm laws.
Additionally, the farmer leaders reiterated their demand for the scrapping of NPFAM and the enactment of a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), as per the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations.
With tensions escalating over the future of agricultural policies, SKM’s call for broader resistance could set the stage for renewed farmer protests across the country.