Haryana: SKM to Hold Protests on July 17, Rahul Gandhi Meets Farmers in Sonipat

The Haryana body of the Samyukt Kisan Morch (SKM) will organise protest demonstrations across the state.

These demonstrations will be held at the sub-divisional level on July 17 "to exert pressure on the government for ensuring compensation" to the insured farmers who have suffered crop losses this season.

Insurance Companies not Paying Insurance Amount

“Insurance claims for crop losses to the tune of thousands of crores are pending across the state as private insurance companies are not accepting the registration of crops. Around 17,000 farmers alone from Mahendragarh district have been making rounds of government offices for the past several months to get compensation for the crop losses under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana. Similar is the situation in other districts too,” said Inderjit Singh, senior vice-president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

Singh added that farmers are struggling to get compensation despite paying hefty premiums to avail of insurance coverage for their crops. Rather than helping farmers in these distressed times, the government is aiding insurance companies, Singh alleged.

The decision to hold protest demonstrations was taken in aN SKM meeting in Rohtak on July 7. The SKM leaders also laid out future plans to raise other agriculture-related demands, such as the "minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, a policy to ensure freedom from debt for farmers, etc."

Furthermore, it was also decided that August 9 would be observed as a "Boycott corporate- save agriculture" day and August 15 as "Save democracy day".

Rahul Gandhi Meets Farmers

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday made an impromptu visit to Haryana's Sonipat district and interacted with people and spent time with farmers working agricultural lands.

He also participated in paddy sowing, a senior party leader from the state said.

Gandhi reached Sonipat district's Madina village early on Saturday.

"It was an impromptu visit ... He interacted with the villagers and the farmers working in the fields. Rahulji also participated in paddy sowing and drove a tractor," Jagbeer Singh Malik, the Congress MLA from Gohana in Sonipat, told PTI.

Malik, who was present at the spot, said Gandhi was probably on his way to Himachal Pradesh from Delhi.

In pictures tweeted from the Congress' official handle, Gandhi was seen in his familiar white t-shirt and trousers. He was also stepping onto the fields with the villagers.

On Friday, Gujarat High Court dismissed Gandhi's plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.

Gandhi, on May 23, travelled in a truck from Delhi to Chandigarh to listen to the problems faced by truck drivers.

He undertook the journey during the night, and in visuals and videos, the former Congress chief, donning his trademark white t-shirt, was seen sitting inside a truck, travelling with a driver and speaking to drivers at a dhaba.