Report on three laws favours farmers: Panelist
NEW DELHI/PUNE: Hopeful of an early resolution to the long-running farmers’ protests on the national capital borders, a key member of the Supreme Court-appointed panel on contentious agri-laws on Wednesday said the report submitted by the committee is “cent per cent” in favour of farmers and the apex court must take up the matter without any delay.
The panel member acknowledged that the government and the Supreme Court have to consider the law and order issue that may arise with the release of the report for which they needed to take time, but “they just cannot dump it and they should not dump it.” Shetkari Sanghatana President Anil J Ghanwat, the panel member who had written to the Chief Justice of India on September 1 urging him to make the report public, also said the committee does not support repeal of the three laws, as being demanded by protesting farmers, but he and his organisation certainly believed that there are “many defects” in the laws that needed to be addressed.
“The report has to be made public at the earliest. If they do it tomorrow, that will be better... When the people will know the content of the report, they will decide whether the new farm laws are in favour of farmers or not,” he said.
KARNAL: Another round of talks between district officials and farmers protesting over a police lathi-charge last month failed Wednesday and the protesters said they will continue their sit-in “indefinitely” at the district headquarters here.
Into the second day of the dharna, farm leaders said they will stay put at the gate of the complex but will not stop officials and the public from entering it. Their demands centre around the suspension of IAS officer Ayush Sinha, who was caught on tape allegedly telling policemen to break heads of farmers if they cross the line during their August 28 protest.
About 10 farmers were hurt that day when police used force to stop them from marching to the venue of a BJP event in Karnal. The sit-in outside the Karnal mini-secretariat, following a mahapanchayat in the same city, began Tuesday evening after talks between district officials and the farm leaders failed .
The farmers then began marching towards the office complex. Along with some Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders, many spent the night outside its main entrance.
In the morning, volunteers at the protest site were seen preparing tea and serving breakfast, including ‘langar’ from the nearby gurdwaras. The district administration invited a delegation of SKM leaders — including Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav and Gurnam Singh Chaduni — for a meeting at 2 pm in another bid to end the standoff. But the standoff continued.
“We have to say this with regret that the talks failed completely because the government is adopting an adamant and insensitive attitude,” Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav told reporters after the three-hour meeting.
“There is no change in their attitude from what was witnessed yesterday,” he charged.