India News | SKM Condoles Death of RLD Chief Ajit Singh

New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) condoled the death of former Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Chaudhary Ajit Singh on Thursday and said he had always kept the pain of farmers in mainstream politics.

SKM, an umbrella body of farm unions spearheading the agitation against the Centre's three agri laws, said Ajit Singh had openly supported their movement.

Ajit Singh, 82, passed away at a Gurgaon hospital on Thursday morning battling COVID-19, his family said.

"Samyukta Kisan Morcha pays heartfelt tribute to Chaudhary Ajit Singh. Ajit Singh had always kept the pain of the farmers in mainstream politics and forefront of every stage.

"Taking forward the views of his father and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, Ajit Singh openly supported this farmers movement," a statement issued by the body said.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at three Delhi border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- for over six months, demanding a repeal of the three agri reform laws enacted by the Centre in September last year.

Talking about the ongoing protest, the SKM said farmers in large numbers have started to return to the Delhi protest sites, and more will be joining in the coming days as the harvesting season is almost over.

"Today, farmers have arrived in large numbers in their tractor trollies at the Singhu border. In the coming days, more farmers will be joining at the Delhi borders so that the pressure can be built on the government," it added.

The Centre has been maintaining that the new farm laws will free farmers from middlemen, giving them more options to sell their crops.

The protesting farmers, however, say the laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the 'mandi' (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)