CHANDIGARH: The confusion among farmer unions over fighting the upcoming Punjab Assembly election is becoming intense by the day. Adding further uncertainty to the issue, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has demanded that the union leaders who fight the polls shall not be part of the committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) to be formed by the Centre.
Fault lines among farmer outfits over contesting the polls are already visible as only 18 among the 32 unions in Punjab are showing intention to fight the polls as of now while many have backed out.
Talking to this newspaper, Tikait said the farmer leaders fighting the Assembly elections should not be part of the MSP committee. “If they are fighting the polls then how can they attend committee meetings? The committee is yet to be formed and who will be the members has not been decided. The SKM will decide which farmer leaders will be nominated to the committee from the morcha.”
Stating that he is not against any farmer leader fighting the elections, Tikait said “they can fight the polls and it is their right”. “How can I stop them? But my family members and I will not contest any elections. I will be away from any political activity,” said the lead voice behind the agitation against the farm laws.
He said the five-member committee formed by the SKM earlier, in which two prominent farmer leaders — Balbir Singh Rajewal and Gurnam Singh Charuni — were members, was to talk to the government to resolve the farmers’ stir. “The agitation is suspended and the farmers are on a holiday. The stir is not finished yet. The next meeting of the SKM will take place on January 15 in which we will review the status,” said Tikait.
Twenty-two farmer unions in Punjab had formed Samyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) to fight the Assembly election. Prominent Rajewal is heading the new outfit. At the same time, Haryana farmer leader Charuni has floated his own Sanyukt Sangharsh Party to fight the Punjab polls. Out of the 22 unions, four have taken a U-turn and decided not to contest the polls, leaving the SSM with 18 unions. The biggest farm union in Punjab, the BKU (Ugrahan) has declared that it will not fight the elections.