Farmers Head For Delhi To Mark 26 May As ‘Black Day’; 12 Opposition Parties Extend Support To Farmers’ Protest Call

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions, has decided to hold protests on 26 May and observe the day as ‘black day’.

After the call by SKM, hundreds of farmers from across Haryana will begin their movement from 23 May to join the ongoing agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws, reports Hindustan Times.

Twelve opposition parties, led by the Congress, have extended their support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) for a countrywide protest on 26 May to mark the completion of six months of their agitation against the Centre's three farm laws.

"We extend our support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to observe a countrywide protest day on 26 May marking the completion of six months of the heroic peaceful Kisan struggle," said the statement.

Other signatories included former Prime Minister and Janata Dal-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemany Soren, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, J&K National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Communist Party of India chief D. Raja and Communist Party of India-Marxist's General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Opposition leaders, including Congresss' interim chief Sonia Gandhi had, on 12 May, jointly written to Prime Narendra Minister Modi, demanding repeal of the farm laws to "protect lakhs of our 'annadatas' from becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people".

"We demand the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

"The Central Government must stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines," they had said.

With IANS Inputs