The RSS said that attempts have been restarted to spread anarchy, just two months before the Lok Sabha elections

The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the highest decision-making body of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), called the farmers’ protest near Delhi as resurgence of ‘separatist terrorism’ in Punjab and advised the government to distance itself from violent agitators. The second day of the three-day meeting accused the agitators of attempting to spread anarchy under the guise of a farmers’ agitation.

The RSS started a three-day meeting of its highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, in Nagpur on Friday. (File Photo)

By Pradip Kumar Maitra

On February 13, thousands of farmers initiated a march towards the national capital to advocate for their demands, including a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, and no increase in electricity tariffs. Farmer leaders criticised the central government for not taking their demands on MSP seriously while launching the agitation.

“The separatist terrorism in Punjab has raised again its ugly head. Under the pretext of farmers agitation, especially in Punjab, attempts have been restarted to spread anarchy, just two months before the Lok Sabha elections,” the RSS, the ideological foundation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), highlighted these issues in its annual report for 2023-24 in the meeting.

On the other hand, senior functionaries of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) , an outfit of sangh, reportedly raised several demands during the meeting, including fair pricing based on production costs, abolition of GST on agricultural goods, increased support for farmers, prevention of market exploitation, and rejection of genetically modified (GM) crops through a resolution.

The meeting also expressed distress over the atrocities against women in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the border state of Manipur, emphasising the need for unity and swift action to ensure women’s safety and prevent future crimes.

This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.