The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), born during the 2020–2021 agitation against the Centre's three farm laws, has evolved well beyond its agrarian origins — transforming from a focused farmers' campaign into a broad-based political mobilisation directed against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government. What began as an umbrella platform coordinating farmers' unions across India now devotes significant organisational energy to electoral reforms, labour rights, civil liberties, and opposition politics.

A landmark victory that reshaped the movement

The SKM's most consequential moment came in November 2021, when the Centre announced the repeal of the three farm laws after a year-long sustained agitation — a rare instance of a major piece of legislation being withdrawn under public pressure. The repeal handed the coalition enormous political and moral capital, cementing its status as one of the most influential mass movements in contemporary India.

Since that victory, the platform has witnessed several internal fissures and organisational erosions. Yet it retains a formidable national presence with reach across multiple states, and continues to press a wide-ranging set of demands that have expanded considerably since 2021.

Core agricultural demands still unresolved

At the heart of the SKM's unfinished agrarian agenda is the demand for a statutory guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) based on the formula recommended by the National Commission on Farmers, chaired by agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan. Specifically, the coalition seeks MSP fixed at 50 per cent above the comprehensive cost of cultivation — known as the C2+50 per cent formula.

The C2 cost is the broadest measure of production expenditure, encompassing paid-out expenses on seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, hired labour, and irrigation (A2), the imputed value of family labour (FL), as well as the rental value of owned land and interest on owned capital. Farmer organisations argue that only C2+50 per cent delivers a fair return to cultivators. The government, however, has typically calculated MSP using the narrower A2+FL benchmark — and this difference lies at the centre of the ongoing MSP debate.

Beyond MSP, the SKM also demands a comprehensive farm loan waiver, withdrawal of the four Labour Codes and the Electricity Privatisation Bill, restoration and expansion of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and mobilisation against free trade agreements that, according to the platform, undermine agricultural incomes.

The political expansion: Electoral reforms and civil rights

Critics argue that while these agricultural demands remain unresolved, the SKM's organisational focus has shifted increasingly toward campaigns that move beyond farming. The evidence is visible in the platform's own recent resolutions and protest programmes.

Earlier this year, at a national convention, the SKM explicitly called for rallying people against what it described as the 'BJP-RSS-led' ruling framework, linking farmers' concerns to labour rights, trade agreements, privatisation, and broader economic policy. The coalition participated in nationwide 'Jail Bharo' actions alongside trade unions, bringing together farmers, workers, and students under a wider anti-government agenda.

The platform has also pursued electoral reforms and backed amendments to the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners. More recently, the SKM decided to join demonstrations alongside student and youth protesters, accusing authorities of undermining democratic rights — a mobilisation that carries few direct links to farm-sector distress.

Supporters versus critics: Two readings of the same movement

Supporters of the SKM's expanding scope contend that the broadening is a logical and necessary evolution. Their argument: farming communities cannot isolate their struggles from decisions affecting trade policy, electoral integrity, federalism, and public institutions. In this reading, a movement for farmers' welfare must also be a movement for democratic accountability.

Critics, however, contend that this trajectory risks diluting the platform's original focus at precisely the moment when core agricultural demands — statutory MSP, loan relief, labour code withdrawal — remain unfulfilled. From their perspective, every mobilisation dedicated to electoral controversies or civil rights causes represents organisational energy diverted from the pressing economic problems confronting farmers.

What the SKM's evolution means going forward

The central question confronting the SKM today is whether it can remain credibly rooted in farmers' concerns while simultaneously participating in broader political battles. An organisation born from the agrarian anxieties of 2020 has now elevated itself into a national political force with an ideological identity that extends well beyond the farm gate. Whether that expansion strengthens or strains its original mandate will likely define its relevance in the years ahead.