Even as the farmer organisations created it clear that they will not resort to the 4-member specialist committee set up by the Supreme Court (SC) for a resolution of the stand-off with the government, they are prepared to attend the next round of talks with the government to be held on Friday. The farmer groups also reiterated that they would continue and intensify their protest.
Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry has swung into action by producing arrangement to hold the meeting of the SC-appointed committee at the earliest, indicating the government’s preference to this route to resole the impasse. If the committee’s members agree, the meeting may perhaps be known as next week, a supply mentioned.
Farmer leaders who met in the afternoon right here to take a formal view of the apex court’s order could not do so as lots of prominent leaders had been absent, due to their engagement with farmer mobilisation programmes outdoors Delhi. It is not right away clear if there is a discord amongst the unions on the strategy towards the SC-monitored mechanism.
Meanwhile, copies of the farm laws had been burnt at the protest web-sites as farmers celebrated ‘Lohri’ festival. The protesting farmers want repeal of the 3 contentious laws and a legally assured minimum assistance cost (MSP) mechanism.
One member of the SC-appointed committee mentioned on situation of anonymity he was but to get a copy of the order and was not conscious of the terms of reference. He expressed self-assurance that the committee would be impartial and objective in its ideas.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the implementation of 3 controversial farm laws that have brought on a enormous and prolonged protest by farmers, largely from Punjab and Haryana, at Delhi’s borders, by means of an ‘extraordinary order’, and set up a 4-member committee to break the deadlock among the government and farmers, and facilitate resolution of the relevant troubles. The court also ordered that the MSP program, which is in existence prior to the enactment of the farm laws, shall be maintained till additional orders. In addition, the court mentioned the farmers’ land holdings shall be protected.
Several farmer groups mentioned Tuesday itself that they will not participate in the specialist committee set up by the Supreme Court. As lots of as 32 farmer organisations from Punjab, who are protesting at unique entry points to the national capital, also vowed to continue the protest, in spite of the court staying the laws for the time getting.
Addressing media in Mumbai on Wednesday, Bhartiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait mentioned that though the farmers respect the Court’s choice to keep the 3 Acts, they have decided to continue the protests till the farm laws are repealed. “We never went to the Supreme Court. Our movement is a revolution. Our movement is against the government,” Tikait mentioned, adding, farmers do not have any other option.
He known as the planned tractor march on January 26 as ‘Tiranga Yatra’ (tricolour march) and mentioned “along with the jawans on Rajpath, there will be farmers.”
The Maharashtra chapter of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) also organised a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday to chalk out program for a joint protest on January 26 in which quite a few trade union leaders and social activists also participated. The leaders decided to hold a sit-in through January 24-26 at Azad Maidan and march to the Governor’s House on the concluding day.
Meanwhile, Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala met prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and is believed to have discussed the ongoing protest by farmers. The meeting with Modi comes a day immediately after Chautala along with chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar met house minister Amit Shah. Chautala is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which is the alliance companion of BJP in Haryana. Majority of JJP MLAs have been placing stress on Chautala to withdraw assistance from the government due to farmers’ dissatisfaction more than the laws. Chautala had earlier mentioned that he would quit the state government if MSP was discontinued.