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10 farmers' groups extend support to Govt on farm laws
As the ongoing farmers' protest continued for the 19th day on Monday, a new group of 10 farmers' unions on Monday extended their support to the Central government over its decision to undertake the necessary amendments in the three contentious farm laws.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Farmer leaders on Monday started their day-long hunger strike against the Centre's new farm laws and said protests will be held at all district headquarters later in the day, even as more people are expected to join ongoing agitation at Delhi border points.
The government is engaging with farmer leaders to decide on the next date of talks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, as unions intensified their agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws and observed a day-long fast on Monday.
“The meeting will definitely happen. We are engaging with farmers,” Tomar told PTI.
The government is ready for discussion anytime. The farmer leaders have to “decide and convey” when they are ready for the next meeting, he added.
Tomar is leading the negotiations with 40 farmer unions, along with Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Som Parkash.
Previous five rounds of talks between the Centre and 40 farmer unions’ leaders have remained inconclusive.
The government has sent a draft proposal along with written assurance of continuing the minimum support price (MSP) system to them for consideration, but farmer unions have rejected it and demanded repeal of the laws.
Earlier in the day, Tomar met Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed about the way forward to end the deadlock.
Later, the agriculture minister also met a delegation of farmers led by the All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC) which extended support to the farm laws. This is the fourth group of farmers who have extended support to the laws in last two weeks. The group of farmers belonging to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana expressed their support.
The farmers, in a written statement, said that they agreed with the government's proposal to suitably amend the three farm laws which is the centre of deadlock leading to ongoing protest at Delhi's different borders since November 26.
As thousands of farmers under the leadership of over 32 farm unions are sitting on demonstration for the last 19 days, the AIKCC group appealed to the farmers to support the government's proposal regarding amendments in the three laws -- The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The protesting farmers term these laws "black laws", "draconian" and "anti-farmer".
Stressing on amendments in the three laws, the AIKCC said "modern infrastructure is necessary in the current farming scenario because the present method is not enough for implementation of new laws".
"The farmers have been following old techniques. So, it is necessary to do amendments in these laws."
After the meeting, the Agriculture Minister tweeted that the leaders of the group agreed that these laws are beneficial for the farmers and these should not be withdrawn.
Tomar also said that the farmers accepted that the ongoing protest is politically motivated.
The new group of farmers agreed with the government's proposal days after more than a dozen farmers from Haryana FPO (Farmer Producer Organisation) and the Jagruk and Pragatiseel Kisan Union submitted a signed acceptance of the new laws to Tomar during a meeting with him at the Ministry earlier.
The farmers protesting at Delhi’s borders observed a day-long fast on Monday even as the agitation spread to different parts of the country with peasant unions staging demonstrations at district headquarters.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
(With inputs from IANS)
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