On the call of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmers from various states protested the proposed New Agricultural Trade Policy (NATP). SKM also demanded that the Union govt. immediately hold talks with farmers to save the life of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (Non-Political; NP) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death protest has entered Day 29, and free all the farmers arrested from Noida and Greater Noida arrested on 6 Dec. In its letter to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, SKM said, ‘[…] reduction in food subsidy by USD 7.1B and fertiliser subsidy by USD 7.3B in the last three consecutive years are corporate attacks on the existing system of limited Minimum Support Price and food security of the country.’ On 21 Dec, SKM held a meeting in Patiala with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), one of two organizations spearheading the current Farmers Protest 2.0. The meeting was to work out the modalities to present a joint front ‘at this difficult time’ during the ongoing agitation at the Panjab and Haryana borders. Soon after the meeting, SKM senior leader Joginder Ugrahan, head of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) said, ‘The talks have been held in a positive environment. We will now hold meetings of our respective unions. After discussions, we will decide the future course of action.’ It must be noted that according to the Indian Constitution, trade and commerce of agricultural products is Article 33 of the Concurrent List. Both state and Union govt. have rights on the list, but if a policy is being made to favour the trader and not the farmer, it is a matter of judicial intervention.
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