Farmer’s Protest Kisan Mahapanchayat Live Updates: Sanyukt Kisan Morcha is organizing ‘Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat’ at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan today. Farmers affiliated to Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Rakesh Tikait faction have joined the ‘Mahapanchayat’. Hundreds of farmers from Punjab have gathered at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan to attend “Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat”. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 37 farm unions, which gave the call for the ‘mahapanchayat’ on February 22 at a meeting in Chandigarh, got a no-objection certificate for the gathering from the Delhi Police and municipal corporation on March 11.
The Delhi Police has given permission for the farmers’ ‘mahapanchayat’ at Ramlila Maidan, but with some conditions: no more than 5,000 people can attend, no tractor trolleys will be allowed, and there will be no march at the Maidan.
Farmers have been advocating for legislation to provide a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops. They are also calling for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations regarding MSP, along with demands for pensions for farmers and agricultural workers, as well as the forgiveness of farm debts. While the SKM is not part of the “Delhi Chalo” march but it has extended support to the splinter groups at both the sites.
As per the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmers are set to endorse a ‘Sankalp Patra’ or ‘letter of resolution’ during the Mahapanchayat, signaling a strengthened commitment to combat what they perceive as the “pro-corporate, communal, and dictatorial policies of the Modi government.” Their resolve is to safeguard farming, food security, livelihoods, and protect the public from corporate exploitation.
Delhi Police officers have requested the SKM to limit the number of attendees to 5,000, although they anticipate over 15,000 people will likely attend. In response, the SKM stated that they anticipate over 30,000 farmers from Punjab to arrive in the national capital. The police have also issued a traffic advisory for the commuters to avoid roads leading to central Delhi, they said.
One of the key demands of protesting farmers has been MSP which is the price at which the government purchases crops from the farmers, providing them with assured income for their produce. This price acts as a safety net for farmers, ensuring they receive a fair price for their crops, particularly during times of market fluctuations or when market prices fall below the
More on the Kisan Mahapanchayat at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan:
The “mahapanchayat” takes place amidst ongoing sit-ins by other farmer unions affiliated with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and SKM (Non-Political) at Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border. These groups, considered splinter factions of the SKM, have been staging protests for the past month following the interruption of their “Delhi Chalo” march by security forces.
