The 4 members of the Supreme Court-appointed committee to enable resolve the ongoing farmers’ protest, have taken pro-farm law stance in the previous, has discovered. The committee was named this evening in an order of the court, which was hearing a bunch of petitions difficult the Centre’s farm laws passed in parliament in September. In its order, the court mentioned the committee will listen to the “grievances of the farmers relating to the farm laws and the views of the government and make recommendations”.
Farmers’ groups have mentioned they would not accept the committee or hold discussions with them. The committee, they mentioned, integrated members in favour of the farm laws. “We don’t accept this committee, all the members in this committee have been pro-government and these members have been justifying the laws,” mentioned Punjab farmers’ unions.
The list consists of Bhupinder Singh Mann, the national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi, an agricultural economist who is also the Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Anil Ghanwat, the chief of Shetkari Sanghatana, who in articles written in the media have expressed views in favour of the farm laws.
Mr Gulati, who was also a member of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council from 1999 to 2001, has written opinion pieces in national dailies, and also spoken to the media in help of the farm laws.
For instance, in December, he told the Times of India that the 3 farm laws would advantage the farmers. He has also written opinion pieces for the Indian Express, titled “Challenges to Farm Bills Harken Socialist Era, Attempt to undo Agriculture’ 1991 Moment,” and “We Need Laws that Give Farmers More Space to Sell Their Produce — New Farm Laws Fit This Bill”.
Mr Ghanwat is the President of the Shetkari Sangathan, which is a group primarily based out of Maharashtra that had celebrated the new farm laws.
Mr Ghanwat told today that farmers really should get the correct to market place their create and underscored the have to have to “reform” the new laws. Amendment of the current laws was what the government had provided farmers, generating it clear that there would be no repeal as they demanded.
He, having said that, also mentioned the government really should have consulted the farmers ahead of going ahead with the legislation. Hailing the Supreme Court’s order that underscores the have to have for discussion, he mentioned, “There was not much discussion with farmers’ organizations before the new agricultural law was made, due to which many misunderstandings have spread among the farmers.”
Mr Mann was element of a group of farmers that met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in December, to express their help for the new laws.
The fourth member of the committee, Mr Joshi has written a number of opinion pieces in the previous, supporting the new farm laws. In a piece co-written by him for the Financial Express, he mentioned “Any dilution in the farm laws will constrain Indian agriculture in harnessing the emerging global opportunities.”
“Scrapping the three farm laws will be disastrous for the entire agriculture sector, more so for the farmers,” reads one more piece co-written by Mr Joshi for the Financial Express.
Ordering the formation of the committee today, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde mentioned. “We want to solve the problem and that’s why we are making the committee”.
“We have the power to appoint a committee, which will submit to us. All who are genuinely interested in solving the problem can go before the committee”.
In its order for the formation of the committee, the court produced attendance mandatory for representatives of all the farmers’ bodies.
“The representatives of all the farmers’ bodies, whether they are holding a protest or not and whether they support or oppose the laws shall participate in the deliberations of the Committee and put forth their view points,” the court mentioned.
“The Committee shall, upon hearing the Government as well as the representatives of the farmers’ bodies, and other stakeholders, submit a report before this court containing its recommendations,” the court mentioned.
The committee has to hold its initial sitting inside ten days and submit its report inside two months.
The court has ordered a freeze on the farm laws more than which thousands of farmers are holding an agitation on the borders of Delhi given that November 26. The court had mentioned the matter wants to be urgently solved.
“These are matters of life and death. We are concerned with laws. We are concerned with lives and property of people affected by the agitation. We are trying to solve the problem in the best way. One of the powers we have is to suspend the legislation,” Justice Bobde had mentioned.