While the ninth round of talks among agitating farmers and the government, the initially following the Supreme Court order appointing a 4-member committee to resolve the impasse, also remained inconclusive on Friday, the government maintained that a resolution could certainly emerge from the mechanisms of talks among the government and farmers and the deliberations of the SC-appointed panel.
Farmer unions agreed to meet the government once more on January 19 for the next round of talks, but remained firm in their stance that they will not resort to the panel set up by the apex court. Sources mentioned the farmer leaders perceived a softening of the government’s stand, as it did not insist for the duration of Friday’s talks that the 3 contentious laws will not be rolled back.
After the talks, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar mentioned: “If farmer leaders want, they may form an informal group who can prepare some proposals on as to what the farmers need and what clauses in the laws are problematic for them. The government is ready to consider those proposals with an open mind.” However, farmer leaders rejected the suggestion.
Tomar mentioned: “talks took place over three farm laws in a cordial atmosphere and detailed discussions took place on some issues, but we couldn’t reach a decisive stage.” He added that the government would present its views just before the SC-appointed committee, if invited.
Till the lunch break the discussion was mostly on repeal of the laws though commerce and railway minister Piyush Goyal talked in detail about the amendments in the Essential Commodities Act and their positive implications for farmers. Through the amendment in the EC Act, the government has mentioned stock holding limits on critical things will be imposed only if there is one hundred% raise in retail cost of horticultural create and 50% in non-perishable agricultural foodstuffs inside a prescribed time frame.
On their demand for a legally assured minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism, farmer leaders mentioned the government was attempting to “run away from” a discussion on the challenge. Tomar highlighted the existing paddy procurement below MSP is robust and the Centre has elevated the quantity of acquire centres by 1.5 occasions of what it was final year. As the MSP challenge was taken up for the duration of post-lunch, there was really tiny time left, 1 leader mentioned. “In the next round of talks, we will first raise the MSP issue,” mentioned Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU).
At the starting of the meeting farmer leaders complained the panel of ministers about diverse government agencies harassing transporters and other people who are supporting the protest. Citing criminal instances filed against farmers in Haryana, they asked the government to cease all such repressive actions.
Later in the evening, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (United Farmers’ Front), which is the primary body of the protesting farmers, issued a statement saying they “oppose” the views of the panel of ministers that the Supreme Court really should make a decision to repeal these laws. “The Lok Sabha is the house of people elected by the people of India. These laws have been made by Parliament and should be repealed by parliament,” the statement by the farmers’ union mentioned. The detailed strategy for January 26 “Kisan Republic Parade” will be announced January 17, a day just before the next hearing in the Supreme Court, the statement mentioned.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Mann) president Bhupinder Singh Mann, 1 of the 4 members on the SC-appointed panel, on Thursday mentioned he was recusing himself from the committee. His recusal came following farmer unions and opposition parties referred to as it a “pro-government” panel and insisted that the members publicly stated their position in favour of the 3 laws. “As a farmer myself and a union leader, in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions amongst the farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as to not compromise the interests of Punjab and farmers of the country,” Mann mentioned in a statement. “I am recusing myself from the committee and I will always stand with my farmers and Punjab,” he mentioned.
Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) president Anil Ghanwat, former director of International Food Policy Research Institute Pramod Kumar Joshi and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati are also on the panel.