SKM not called for pre-budget consultation, govt avoiding farmers' real representatives: AIKS

Amid reports that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold consultations with farmers' associations and agriculture economists on the Union budget, the All India Kisan Sabha on Wednesday said the Samyukt Kisan Morcha had not been invited and accused the Centre of deliberately keeping out the ''real representatives of farmers''.

In a statement on Wednesday, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) -- the farmers' wing of the CPI(M) -- said the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had not been invited for the consultations.

The AIKS has also not been invited, it said.

The SKM is the umbrella body that led the protests against the now-scrapped farm laws.

''It has come to our notice that the finance minister will be holding in-person pre-budget consultations with different stakeholders to solicit ideas and suggestions for the Union budget, 2024-25, and, in the process, a meeting with farmer associations and agriculture economists is scheduled on June 21,'' the AIKS said.

It said the SKM has been submitting memoranda on agrarian issues with proposals for resolving the acute agrarian crisis. ''The All India Kisan Sabha, the largest organisation of the peasantry, has always been called to place our proposals before the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices for determining minimum support prices for rabi and kharif seasons,'' the AIKS said.

''However, in this instance, the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government and the finance minister have not invited the SKM leadership or AIKS representatives for the meeting,'' they said.

''It is clear from this approach that the government is continuing to deliberately keep out the real representatives of farmers and indulging in a farcical exercise,'' the AIKS said.

Condemning the government's approach, it demanded that talks be held with the SKM leadership.

''It is high time they shed their arrogance, learn lessons from the decisive rebuff in 159 constituencies in the recently-concluded elections and call for talks with an open mind. In the absence of such a move, the government must be ready to face a mass mobilisation of farmers across the country very soon,'' the AIKS said.

Holding consultations with different groups is a part of the standard procedure followed by the finance ministry ahead of the budget.

The key policy priorities for the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government includes dealing with stress in the agriculture sector and job creation, among others.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)