Farmer leaders on Wednesday rejected the government’s proposal to amend three controversial farm laws, and announced that they would intensify their agitation by blocking the Jaipur-Delhi and the Delhi-Agra expressways by Saturday, and escalating it to a nationwide protest on December 14.
Farmers have been demonstrating since late last month over reforms enacted in September that loosened rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm produce that had protected farmers from an unfettered free market for decades.
“The farmers have rejected the government’s proposals,” Darshan Pal, president of Krantikari Kisan Union, told reporters after the meeting of over 30 farmers’ unions. Pal said the farmers wanted nothing less than a complete withdrawal of the legislations. He said the new draft contained what had already been proposed to them by Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar in his previous meetings with farmer leaders.
Farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka, too, said there was nothing new in the government’s proposal, and that it was “completely rejected” by the ‘Sanyukta Kisan Committee’. If the three farm laws are not scrapped, the farmers will block all the roads leading to Delhi one by one, Kakka said.
Union leaders termed the proposal an “insult” to the farmers of the country. They, however, said if the government sends a fresh proposal of talks, they may consider it. The sixth round of talks between the government and farm union leaders scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled.
According to the union leaders, a new ‘Delhi Chalo’ (March to Delhi) call is being given to all farmers in north India for December 14, while those in the south will be asked to protest at district headquarters. They said all toll plazas across the country will be made toll-free on December 12.
The Centre’s proposal was sent to the farmers a day after Union home minister Amit Shah met representatives of 13 unions over the contentious legislations. In the proposal, the government had offered to give a “written assurance” to the farmers that the existing Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime for crop procurement will continue. The government also said it was ready to provide all necessary clarifications on their concerns about the new farm laws enacted in September. It did not, however, mention anything about the main demand of protesting farmers to repeal the laws.
The government had also proposed to make necessary amendments on at least seven issues, including one to allay fears about the weakening of the mandi system.
TOMAR MEETS AMIT SHAH
Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar met home minister Amit Shah to discuss the next course of action after farmer leaders rejected the Centre’s draft proposal. The agriculture minister is believed to have discussed with the home minister a possible way to end the stalemate. Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal was also present at the meeting.
OPPN MEETS PRESIDENT
A delegation of opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Left leaders, met President Ram Nath Kovind seeking repeal of the three farm laws. The five-member delegation of opposition leaders included CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D Raja and DMK leader TKS Elangovan, besides Gandhi and Pawar.
“We met the President and informed him of our view regarding the three farm laws. We have asked for their repeal. We informed the President that it is critical that they are taken back,” Gandhi told reporters. He said the way the farm laws were passed in Parliament, “we feel it was an insult to farmers and that is why they are protesting in the cold weather against them”.
NCP leader Pawar said various political parties have requested President that these farm laws should be repealed as they were not discussed with either stakeholders or in the Select Committee of Parliament.
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