New Delhi: The farmers’ union Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has announced it will not participate in the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee meeting scheduled for Thursday. SKM leaders, during an online meeting on Monday night, raised concerns that the committee’s primary focus was on clearing highway blockades rather than addressing the core issues faced by farmers.
The announcement coincides with the ongoing hunger strike by farmers’ leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose health has worsened after 37 days of fasting to demand legal guarantees for Minimum Support Price (MSP). Efforts by retired police officers and Punjab officials to convince Dallewal to accept medical aid have so far been unsuccessful.
The Supreme Court panel, formed on September 2, had invited SKM to discuss key agricultural issues, including MSP, institutional debt, and rising input costs. However, SKM leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal stated that the panel’s terms of reference appeared focused on reopening highways blocked by protesting farmers at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.
“We are not involved in those blockades, and we do not recognise the court’s intervention in our policy-based struggle with the central government,” SKM said in a statement.
Other farmers’ groups, including SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have also distanced themselves from the committee, opting instead for direct negotiations with the Union government.
At Shambhu, farmers’ leaders plan to intensify mobilisation, with more protesters expected to join in the coming days. The protesting farmers have urged the Punjab government to pass a resolution opposing the draft of the national agricultural marketing policy framework.
The protest continues to attract attention, with Punjabi singer Babbu Mann visiting Khanauri to show his support. A delegation from the Samajwadi Party, led by Uttar Pradesh MP Utkarsh Verma, also visited the protest site.
