The government on Friday ruled out repealing the three new farm laws and asked the farmer unions to go to court during their eighth meeting to break the deadlock, resulting in a near breakdown of the conversation.
Still, the farmer unions have for now agreed to participate in the next meeting, scheduled for next Friday after a Supreme Court hearing of a batch of petitions relating to the dispute.
The farmer union leaders made it clear they would not give up their fight even in the face of an adverse Supreme Court order, as none of the organisations that are part of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have sought court intervention.
The farmer unions on Thursday said there was no alternative to repeal of the new farm laws, responding to the government’s call to come up with an option short of complete withdrawal.
Simultaneously, upset with the “repression” of farmers in BJP-ruled states, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) decided to counter this with a bigger mobilisation.
“The Government of India’s appeal to the farmer leaders to suggest an alternative to repeal of the three acts is an impossibility as the central government itself has thrust these laws over the people undemocratically,” the AIKSCC’s working group said a day after 40 farmer unions and collectives had met government interlocutors.
Farmers sitting on a protest against the new farm laws at Singhu Border in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
NEW DELHI: A day after talks over new agri laws registered some progress, farm unions on Thursday said the Centre’s appeal to them to suggest an alternative to repeal of the laws wasn’t feasible.
“Unless the laws are scrapped, there’s no scope to discuss pro-farmer changes in mandis and processes for ensuring doubling of farmers’ income,” said AIKSCC, umbrella body of the unions. They urged the Centre “to stop being rigid and not indulge in semantics”.
It appears to be a posturing exercise on part of the farmers ahead of the next round of talks on January 4 where the main sticking points are up for discussion.
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar along with Union minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal and MoS commerce and industry Som Prakash speak to media after meeting with farmers unions leaders over farm laws, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)
NEW DELHI/BATHINDA: The Centre and farm unions opposed to the new agri laws narrowed their differences with the former agreeing to decriminalise stubble-burning and shelve the proposed electricity amendment bill even though the “core” issues repeal of the laws and legal guarantee for higher MSP raised by the unions remain unresolved.
The renewed discussions between 41 farm unions saw some progress despite the bleak optics that preceded the talks. Importantly, the two sides agreed to remain engaged with the next round of talks scheduled on January 4.
Farmers protest: Non-peasants hijack peasantsâ movement to grind their axes
ANI
New Delhi: The farmers movement on the borders of Delhi continued for the 18th day on Saturday even as it has been hijacked by a couple of non-BJP political leaders and social activists to grind their axes. They are not farmers but they are trying to control it as they are associated with the farmers organisations.
Topping the list is former CPI(M) MP Hannan Mollah, who even sidelined Punjab s farmer leaders after their talks with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. He is now part of the farmer leaders camping at the Delhi-Haryana border, guiding them in the strategies.