Monday, May 20

Congress-CPI(M) Alliance: Farmer Leader Amra Ram To Contest From Rajasthan’s Sikar Again

Edited by Aishwarya Krishnan
Congress-CPI(M) Alliance: Farmer Leader Amra Ram To Contest From Rajasthan’s Sikar Again (image-X/comredamraram)

Amra Singh, the national secretary of CPI (M), has been nominated once again as the candidate from Sikar Lok Sabha constituency in Rajasthan today. Both Congress and the CPI (M) have joined hands in the hopes of defeating two-time MP Sumendhanand Saraswati.

In return, CPI (M) has supported Congress candidates in constituencies including Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, and Churu. Sikar is the focal point of the Communist movement in the state.

Amra Ram, the leader of the Sikar Kisan Movement of 2017, which demanded minimum support prices, waivers on farmer loans, and more, is the Vice President of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). After over 13 days of protests and talks with the government, the Sikar Kisan Movement was withdrawn because its demands were accepted. During the 2020 farmers protest as well, AIKS led farmers from Rajasthan to extend their support to the Delhi farmers.

“The government says that it wants to eliminate the middlemen and enable the farmers to sell their produce to the consumers directly. Then, why is it making way for the capitalists like Adani and Ambani? Our protests are against this farce,” he said, as quoted by The Wire.

He got his B.Sc. from Rajasthan University in 1975. After pursuing his Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree from Gorakhpur University in 1976–77, Amra Ram earned his Masters of Commerce from Rajasthan University in 1978–79. During his college days, he joined the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the student organisation of CPI (M). His first job as a government teacher came to an end in 1982 to pave the way for his entry into activism and politics.

After his three consecutive successful stints in the legislative assembly of Dhod on the CPI (M) ticket, Amra Ram also won from the Danta Ramgarh constituency in the 2004 assembly elections.  However, the four-time MLA faced defeat in the 2013 assembly elections.

In between, he had contested the Lok Sabha elections but lost after receiving 56,452 votes in the Sikar constituency, coming up third. Since 1996, Amra Ram has contested the Sikar seat six times but has not once won.

The party’s performance in the assembly elections has been quite concerning. Despite fielding 17 seats, CPI (M) lost all of them, with a poll percentage of 0.96 percent.