Trust deficit, difference of opinion hit farmers protest

New Delhi: Differences and lack of trust among farmers’ unions have made it difficult for them to manage the narrative and the protest at Delhi’s borders. Though the unions have kept a distance from political parties, differences between the unions have posed a problem for them.

At the Singhu border, the first protest camp is of Punjab-based Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) of Satnam Singh Pannu, the organisation which has been blamed for deviating from the parade route. KMSC, founded in 2007, has presence in 7-8 Punjab districts. It led the rail roko movement last September. Even after other unions decided to let passenger trains to operate, KMSC continued to block the tracks.

“Our leaders appealed to Pannu to join us, but he started his own protest at Singhu border in Delhi,” Harjinder Singh Tanda of Azaad Kisan Sangharsh Committee told ET. When SKM agreed to Delhi Police’s smaller route, Pannu again announced openly that his people would stick to the original Ring Road route.


Recently, when the BKU Haryana president Gurnam Singh Chaduni attended a meeting where political leaders were present, SKM denounced him, while Chaduni accused Shiv Kumar Kaka of colluding with RSS. Chaduni is an influential farmer leader from Haryana responsible for spreading the movement to the state and SKM was forced to revoke his suspension. Chaduni then formed the Haryana Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, comprising all organisations from Haryana, to wield influence in the SKM.

The Ghazipur border protest has seen tussle between Sardar VM Singh group and Rakesh Tikait group. In November, VM Singh demanded that an MSP guarantee would be more than enough and there was no need to repeal the farm laws. He was immediately removed as national convener of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Committee.