The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has appealed to all sections of the people including farmers, workers, youth, student and women to observe Bhagat Singh-Rajguru-Sukhdev Martyrdom Day on 23 March as Save Democracy  Day. 

Groundxero| March 17, 2024

As per the call issued by the Kisan-Mazdoor Maha Panchayat held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on 14 March, the Bhagat Singh-Rajguru-Sukhdev Martyrdom Day on 23rd March 2024 will be observed as Save Democracy Day at villages all over India with the slogan – Save Democracy from the threat of Money and Muscle power – the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) informed in a press release today. SKM called upon people to mobilise in villages across India on that day to intensify struggle to save the nation from the Corporate Communal Criminal Nexus.  

SKM has appealed to all sections of the people to protest against BJP for picking Ajay Mishra Teni, the main conspirator of  massacre of  farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri on 3rd October 2021, as candidate to contest from Kheri seat in UP in Lok Sabha elections. The joint platform of farmer unions has also appealed to the people to punish BJP for the largest ever corruption scam in India – the electoral bond scam.  

SKM said that village level Mahapanchayat of all sections of the people including workers, youth, students, women, small traders, petty producers will be organised all over India on 23rd March 2024 to expose, protest and punish BJP that is under the grip of the Corporate-Communal-Criminal- Corruption nexus.

SKM said while the Modi Government retreated from its earlier stand of not allowing farmers to enter Delhi and was forced to give permission for the Kisan-Mazdoor Maha Panchayat at Ramlila Maidan, which was attended by over 50,000 farmers, the Delhi and UP police indulged in unwarranted and illegal harassment of farmers to disrupt the Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat on 14th March 2024.

SKM pointed out that 400 farmers from North Karnataka representing Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha – Hasiru Sene reached Nizamuddin Railway Station at 11 am on 14th March but Delhi Police encircled and detained them till 4 pm. They were forced to spend the night on the street without food. Delhi police forcefully detained five kisan leaders from AIKKMS, 55 farmers from Punjab and created an atmosphere of terror in the New Delhi area to prevent farmers from joining the Mahapanchayat. SKM strongly condemned such use of police by the Modi government to deny citizens the right to come to Delhi and express their dissent.

The UP-State Police had organised illegal house arrest of kisan leaders from early morning in the various districts including Sambal and Devariya. The Police threatened farmers that without the permission of Sambhal District Magistrate they cannot go to Delhi. Defying such unlawful threats, the farmers came out and joined the Mahapanchayat from Sambal. But from Devaria, farmers were unable to come to Delhi. 

The trains from various states destined to Delhi were deliberately delayed for many hours on 14th March morning, and at many stations including Ghaziabad and Bahadurgarh farmers were forced to sit on the rail tracks in protest to put pressure on railway authorities to ensure their train also reached Delhi.

SKM thanked the farmers and member organisations for making the Kisan-Mazdoor Maha Panchayat a big success and appealed to them to observe Bhagat Singh-Rajguru-Sukhdev Martyrdom Day on 23 March as Save Democracy Day from the threat of Money and Muscle power.