SKM to hold ‘Village Maha-Panchayats’ across India from Oct 3 to 23
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, September 30, 2026: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called on its member organisations to hold ‘Village Maha-Panchayats’ across the country from October 3 to 23 as part of preparations for a prolonged farmers’ movement.
The SKM has also urged farmers to participate in large numbers in protests seeking the removal and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. A National Council-General Body meeting will be held in Karnal, Haryana, on October 12 to decide the organisation’s next course of action.
October 3 will be observed as Lakhimpur Kheri Martyrs’ Day. The SKM said that on October 3, 2021, four farmers — Lakhvir Singh (20), Daljit Singh (35), Nachhattar Singh (60) and Gurvinder Singh (19) — and journalist Raman Kashyap were killed during protests in Lakhimpur Kheri.
The village-level meetings will discuss ways to strengthen and sustain the farmers’ movement, with villages being developed as key centres for mobilisation and resource generation. The SKM said three resolutions would be passed, seeking implementation of the written agreement reached with the Centre on December 9, 2021; construction of a memorial at Delhi’s Singhu border for the 736 farmers who, according to the organisation, died during the farmers’ movement; and the removal and prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The SKM has alleged that the SIR exercise resulted in the illegal deletion of 13 crore voters without adequate transparency and accountability and alleged that it benefited the ruling BJP. These are allegations made by the organisation.
Each Village Maha-Panchayat will also prepare a list of 10 volunteers. According to the SKM, participants will work towards strengthening farmer unity and worker-farmer solidarity and mobilising villagers for sustained protests around its demands.
SKM’s seven key demands
The organisation’s demands include:
- No India-US free trade agreement and cancellation of existing free trade agreements.
- Legislation guaranteeing MSP at C2+50% along with assured procurement of all crops.
- Complete waiver of rural debt and compensation of ₹25 lakh to families of farmers who die by suicide.
- Withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and opposition to smart meters, the Seeds Bill, 2025, and amendments to the National Food Security Act.
- Protection of land rights and opposition to forced land acquisition and corporate-oriented land pooling.
- A monthly pension of ₹10,000 for farmers and agricultural workers above 60 years, along with a public-sector crop and livestock insurance scheme.
- Repeal of the four labour codes, a minimum wage of ₹42,000 for workers, and restoration of MGNREGA with 200 days of employment at ₹700 per day.
The SKM has also called for repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 2026, and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) Act, 2026.
It has sought a comprehensive policy for paddy procurement across India, a ban on the release of gene-edited rice seeds and an end to the use of combine harvesters at night.
The SKM said its National Council-General Body meeting in Karnal on October 12 will decide the future course of action and strategy for intensifying the farmers’ movement from November 26, 2026.