President Droupadi Murmu has declined a meeting with representatives of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), citing paucity of time. SKM had sought her intervention to resolve various issues affecting farmers, including remunerative crop prices, increasing production costs, and widespread indebtedness.
“SKM appreciates the President for considering its request for an appointment and giving a written response. However, SKM expresses its deep regret that the President could not accede to meet the farmers’ delegation due to paucity of time,” said a statement issued by Morcha, while expressing hope that the Rashtrapati Bhavan would review its decision on “this crucial request for her intervention, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Supreme Court have so far been unable to resolve the impasse and take constructive steps to save the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, fasting for the last 41 days”.
The statement added that as the head of the State of India, she bears the responsibility of supporting the country’s constitutional institutions, including the Executive and Judiciary, in upholding democratic principles of governance. She must hold discussions with farmers, and ensure harmonious solution to their sufferings, including peasant suicide, acute unemployment and footless distress migration originated out of the neo-liberal reforms by the successive Union Governments that resulted in the current acute agrarian crisis, the statement read.
