Groundxero Report | 8th October, 2023

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) expressed shock at the scurrilous and malafide allegations made against the historic Farmers’ Movement at Delhi, in the FIR lodged by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police against media house Newsclick and several journalists.

On 3rd October, 2023, raids were carried out by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police at various locations including NewsClick’s Delhi office, residences of journalists and employees associated with Newsclick. They were questioned for hours, and their digital devices including personal mobile phones were seized by the police. Prabir Purkayastha, the founder editor of NewsClick, and Amit Chakraborty, the HR head of the news portal, were arrested. Both were charged under various sections of the draconian anti-terrorist UAPA, and remanded to police custody for seven days.

Some of the charges against them in the FIR lodged by the Delhi police are: publishing anti-India and pro-China news funded by money clandestinely routed from China; conspiring to provide legal aid to Chinese telecom companies facing tax evasion cases in India; inciting, supporting, and funding the farmers’ agitation on Delhi borders, with the objective of creating law and order problems and causing a “huge loss of several hundred crores to the Indian economy”.

The FIR by the Delhi police decries the Farmers’ Movement as a conspiracy to “disrupt supplies and services essential to the life of community in India, abet damage and destruction of property, cause huge loss to the Indian economy and create internal law and order problems, through illegal foreign funding”. It accused NewsClick of indulging in terror-activity by covering and diverting funds to these protests.

Painting the farmers’ protest as an act of terror, the Delhi police is peddling the mischievous narrative regarding the protests that have been continuously pushed by Bharatiya Janata Party members. The allegations on NewsClick relating to the farmers’ movement are inexplicable given that the Union government conducted several rounds of negotiation with the farm leaders and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself had to respond to the movement by apologising on television and repealing the three farm laws.

The SKM, in a statement, today, “categorically rejected” all the allegations made in the FIR against the farmers’ movement. SKM pointed out that 735 farmers had to sacrifice their lives to counter the repression by the Modi Government on the peaceful protests. It said, “To belittle such sacrifice by alleging that the movement was foreign funded and acts of terrorism, betrays the arrogance, ignorance and anti-people mindset of the Govt.”

Calling the FIR as a crafty and nefarious plan to portray the Farmers’ Movement as funded by some extraneous sources, SKM accused the Modi Govt of conspiring with crony capitalists to grab and capture food production and supply chains, destroying food security of the people and economy of the nation. It alleged that funds from China have been received by PM Modi in the PM Care Fund and his crony Gautam Adani in his business.

SKM, through its constituent organisations, has expressed solidarity with independent media houses like Newsclick and scores of journalists who have the courage to write and publish the truth about the anti-people policies of the BJP-led Union Govt. It has denounced the nefarious attempts of the Govt. to muzzle and choke dissenting voices through false cases and arrests by illegal misuse of state machinery and power.

SKM has also announced nationwide protests against the Union government for its renewed attack on the farmers’ movement through the NewsClick FIR and demanded immediate withdrawal of the false and scurrilous allegations made against the Farmers’ Movement in the Newsclick FIR.

The Press Statement of SKM is given below:

Samyukt Kisan Morcha

Press Statement | 8th October, 2023

SKM TO LAUNCH NATIONWIDE MASS PROTESTS AGAINST BJP-RSS LED MODI GOVT. FOR ITS RENEWED ATTACK ON FARMERS’ MOVEMENT THROUGH NEWSCLICK FIR

Delhi, 8th October, 2023: Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) is shocked to learn about the scurrilous and malafide allegations made against the historic SKM-led Farmers’ Movement at Delhi, in the FIR lodged by Special Cell of the Delhi Police against media house Newsclick and several journalists. SKM categorically rejects all allegations made in the FIR against the Farmers’ Movement, the same being false and motivated, and unequivocally places on record that:

1) SKM rejects the patently false and mischievous allegations in the FIR that the Farmers’ Movement was to “disrupt supplies and services essential to the life of community in India, abet damage and destruction of property, cause huge loss to the Indian economy and create internal law and order problems, through illegal foreign funding”. Farmers, the annadatas of the nation, participated in a peaceful protest led by the SKM against the anti-farmer and pro-corporate laws and policies of the BJP Govt. No supply was disrupted by the farmers. No property was damaged by the farmers. No loss to the economy was caused by farmers. No law and order problem was created by the farmers. By violently stopping the farmers from exercising their democratic right of reaching the nation’s capital, through barbed wire fencing, water cannons, lathi charge and digging up roads, it is the Union Govt. that caused great inconvenience to the people of the nation and the farmers. Farmers had to sit in protest for 13 long months, under the blazing summer sun, torrential rains and freezing winter cold. It is the Union Govt. and BJP-RSS combine that created law and order problems by mowing down farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri under running vehicles, killing four farmers and one journalist. The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and his son were behind this attack. Till now the Prime Minister has not removed the delinquent Minister and ensured legal action against the culprits. 735 farmers including Lakhimpur Kheri farmers had to sacrifice their lives to counter the repression by Modi Government. It is the Govt. that destroyed public property. It is the Govt. that conspired with crony capitalists to grab and capture food production and supply chains, destroying food security of the people and economy of the nation. Funds from China have been received by PM Modi in PM Care Fund and Gautam Adani in his business. The Farmers’ Movement succeeded, overcoming enormous hardship and with great sacrifice of the farmers. To belittle such sacrifice by alleging that the movement was foreign funded and acts of terrorism, betrays the arrogance, ignorance and anti-people mindset of the Govt.

2) SKM strongly denounces attempt by the BJP led Union Govt. to underplay the importance of the immensely patriotic and historic Farmers’ Movement which was against this Govt’s attempt to hand over Indian farming to big corporates including foreign exploiters. It is pertinent to mention that the 3 black farm laws tried to establish legal control of corporates over cropping pattern through contract farming, over mandis, food processing and food distribution through the Mandi Act and modifications in the Essential Commodities Act and to do away with Govt. procurement, price support and PDS Ration security. That is why the laws were anti-people and unpatriotic while the Farmers’ Movement was a spontenous expression of high degree of nationalism. This FIR is a crafty and nefarious plan to portray the Farmers’ Movement as funded by some extraneous sources, a ploy firmly rejected by the Farmers’ Movement during the course of the Movement, and before which the Modi led BKP-RSS Govt had been forced to surrender its fabricated claims. Indian farming not only provides for food security to 142 crore people, it provides subsistence to 90 crore rural folk, the importance of which was seen by all during the Corona pandemic.

3) Since Delhi Police is under the control of the Union Govt. and commanded by known anti-farmer leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, it is not surprising that false allegations have been made against the Farmers’ Movement, though the extent of the falsehood is astounding.

4) SKM understands that the BJP led Union Govt., still smarting from the humiliation of having to roll-back the 3 black farm laws in the face of the determined, democratic and peaceful agitation of farmers at the borders of Delhi from November 2020 to December 2021, will continuously try to take revenge against farmers by tainting the Farmers’ Movement and building an anti-farmer narrative.

While the SKM, through its constituent organisations, has already expressed solidarity with independent media houses like Newsclick and scores of journalists who have the courage to write and publish the truth about this anti-people BJP led Union Govt. and denounced the nefarious attempts of the Govt. to muzzle and choke their voices through false cases and arrests by illegal misuse of state machinery and power, the SKM once again expresses solidarity with Newsclick and all sections of the independent media and reiterates that it shall support all classes of citizens in ensuring that their rights are not trampled upon by this Govt.

SKM announces nationwide mass protests against this BJP led Union Govt for its renewed attack on the Farmers’ Movement through the Newsclick FIR. Every state capital, district head quarter, tehsil head quarter shall see mass protest gatherings demanding immediate withdrawal of the false and scurrilous allegations made against the Farmers’ Movement in the Newsclick FIR. Deputations shall be submitted by delegations of the SKM leaders to the President of India, Prime Minster, Union Home Minister, Union Agriculture Minister and Commissioner of Delhi Police to immediately withdraw all allegations against the Farmers’ Movement, failing which sit-in protests and demonstrations shall be held at the offices of all authorities.

Media Cell | Samyukt Kisan Morcha

Contact: samyuktkisanmorcha@gmail.com