Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav, who was Suspended from United Kisan Morcha (SKM) for a month on Thursday, said on Friday that he regretted his “procedural lapse” for not speaking to SKM leaders before meeting the family of the deceased. BJP worker Lakhimpur Kheri, and said that it was “naive” for him to think that the gesture would be understood “in the sense it was meant to be”.
“There is a question of principle, a question of policy and a question of procedure. What I did was procedurally flawed. In fact, I went with the Jai Kisan Andolan associates, in my personal capacity, and did not even name the SKM, but when you are in the middle of such a struggle, whatever you do, it is all is reflected on. In that sense I should have recognized it and talked to them Indian Express.
Asked what would he have done if the SKM did not agree on this point, he said, “I would argue with them, convince them, maybe fight with them or postpone my plan for a day or two. I don’t. Know. But not talking to him, and he was getting to know all this through the media, it was something that was not right.”
Yadav said that in the context of academic philosophy there was a question of core ethics and procedural ethics: “In basic terms, I have made my position clear but there was a flaw in the procedural and I accept it.”
Yadav said he hoped his suspension could spark a conversation about “issues of human gestures, recognizing your adversary’s humanity, and questions of moral complexity”. “The space for anything in our public life, regardless of ideologies and parties, has become so small that it was nave to expect such a gesture to be understood in the same sense as it was meant to be,” he said.
“These are things that have almost disappeared from our public life. I say that disappeared because it was very much a part of our freedom struggle. Gandhi would be concerned about the workers of Lancashire whose jobs were being taken away because of the Swadeshi movement. Gandhi didn’t say he was a foreigner… We need to bring back some of these questions. A large and historic movement such as the Kisan Andolan should take the responsibility of reviving some of these questions that have disappeared from our public life,” Yadav said.
He said that the SKM took the decision in his presence and he got an opportunity to make his point, but he had no idea in advance that his suspension was fixed.
In a statement on Friday, Yadav said he had gone to BJP worker Shubham Mishra’s house “not to glorify him” but to offer his condolences. “For me, sharing the suffering of all, including our opponents, is a principle that attracts humanism as well as Indian culture. As a policy I believe that expressing such sentiments is No mass movement becomes weak but actually strengthens. Naturally, not everyone in the movement shares this understanding,” he said.
“In any public movement like this, collective wisdom must prevail above individual understanding. I regret not consulting my colleagues in SKM before taking this decision. I also regret that this has contributed to the farmers movement. Many of my colleagues involved have been hurt. I respect the collective decision-making process of SKM and happily submit myself to the punishment given to me,” he said.
Asked by The Indian Express whether he would continue to participate at protest sites as he is not allowed to speak on stage, Yadav said, “Absolutely. I enjoy most of the meetings where I don’t have to speak, and I look forward to contributing more than before. “
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