Modi Misleading People with Selective Statistics While Failing to Honour Promises to Farmers: SKM

New Delhi: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the public by citing selective statistics while failing to honour promises made to farmers. The organisation said 1,800 days had passed since the Centre gave written assurances on December 9, 2021, ahead of the suspension of the farmers' protest, but none of the key commitments had been implemented.

The unfulfilled promises include legal guarantees for minimum support price (MSP), withdrawal of cases against farmers, compensation for the families of those who died during the agitation, and consultations on amendments to the Electricity Act.

The SKM pointed out that the MSP committee formed in July 2022 was dominated by government supporters and had failed to address farmers' demands. While Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri farmers' massacre case, was allowed to visit his hometown during Diwali, the families of the farmers killed in the incident were still awaiting justice, it said.

The SKM also questioned the Prime Minister's claims regarding diesel prices. Diesel, which cost Rs 55.49 per litre in Delhi in 2014, now costs Rs 95.20, the organisation said. It pointed out that farmers had not received any relief from fuel price increases despite a decline in international crude oil prices. The organisation also highlighted that the annual assistance of Rs 6,000 under the PM-KISAN scheme had not been increased even as farmers' production costs continued to rise.

The increase in agricultural production has not translated into higher incomes for farmers. Crops such as soybean and cotton are fetching prices below the announced MSP, the SKM said. It also claimed that the Prime Minister's figures on agricultural sector growth did not match the data in the Union government's own Economic Survey. In 2024, 10,546 farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide, it added.

The SKM announced that it would organise protests on November 26, mobilising lakhs of farmers in Delhi and at 100 locations across the country.

Its key demands include scrapping agreements such as the India-US free trade deal, legally guaranteeing MSP at one-and-a-half times the cost of production, implementing a complete farm loan waiver, and providing compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the families of farmers who died by suicide. The organisation also demanded assured pensions and insurance, an end to electricity privatisation, withdrawal of the Seeds Bill 2025, protection of the land rights of farmers and Adivasis, and repeal of the four labour codes.

The SKM urged the Prime Minister, who has been highlighting the development goals for 2047, to address the current livelihood crisis faced by farmers. It said the promises broken by the Centre would once again be raised during the November 26 protests.