Farmers protest, Farm laws: Days immediately after a tractor rally in the national capital was marred by violence, the Centre seems to have taken a hard stand vis-a-vis its present to the farmer unions on suspending farm laws for 1.5 years. Now, the government desires the farmer unions to accept its present initial to resume dialogue on any other problems like MSP.
The Indian Express reports that the government now desires to resume the talks only immediately after seeing that its presents are accepted. Speaking to IE, an official mentioned that the Centre has now got the upper hand on the negotiation table now. “We are pointing out that farm union leaders who have been engaging in talks with us have lost control over the agitators, and they should use this opportunity as a graceful exit and agree to the offers the government has made,” the official was quoted as saying by IE.
The officials in the government are of the view that the farmer leaders have lost “moral authority” immediately after violent protests in the national capital on Republic Day. They say that the government has currently provided the farmer leaders a improved proposal, but they did not accept it. “They lost a good opportunity. They have lost moral authority. Now, we have to see whether they accept that offer or they come with a counter proposal,” an official told IE.
In the tenth round of meeting, the Centre had presented to place the 3 farm laws on hold for 1.5 years and type a committee to appear into the problems raised by the protesting farmers. However, the unions rejected that present, saying they will not settle with something much less than the repeal of the laws. The Centre responded that it was the most effective that it could present and now the unions had to determine.
The farmers refused to accept the present and went ahead with their planned tractor rally on Republic Day. However, what was till now a peaceful protest turned violent with a section of protestors resorting to violence, injuring about 400 personnel, and vandalising scores of police and private cars. The Delhi Police have so far booked 30 farm leaders which includes Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Pal and Yogendra Yadav for breaching the agreements and inciting the protestors.
Following the incident, two essential unions — Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) — pulled out of the protests. The Centre now hopes that several more unions pull out of the protests that have maximum help from Punjab and Haryana.
On Republic Day, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had mentioned that the Centre had presented the most effective deal and he was hopeful that the farmer unions would accept that.