Unions reject offer to put farm laws on hold
NEW DELHI: Farm unions protesting three new agricultural laws have rejected the Union government’s offer to put the legislation in abeyance for at least one-and-a-half years — a decision that has deepened the crisis just when it appeared that a 56-day-long agitation by tens of thousands of farmers on the Capital’s borders could finally be resolved.
In the 10th round of negotiations with a 41-member delegation representing farm unions on Wednesday, the Union government offered to suspend the three pieces of legislation in its most far-reaching proposal yet.
But the farmers, instead of agreeing to meet the government midway, hardened their already rigid position on Thursday, saying they will not budge from their demand for a complete repeal of the laws.
After several rounds of internal discussions over the government offer, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the platform of farm unions leading the agitation, said on Thursday evening that the farmers had unanimously rejected the proposal.
“The proposal to suspend the laws is not acceptable because our demand is a repeal of the laws,” said Darshan Pal, a senior leader of the agitation.
A statement put out by the unions said a full general body meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha was held on Thursday. “The proposal put forth by the government yesterday, was
rejected. A full repeal of three central farm acts and enacting a legislation for remunerative MSP [minimum support price] for all farmers were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement,” the statement said.
In Wednesday’s talks, the government said that it would move an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating it’s decision to put the laws in abeyance till a solution to farmers’ demands was found. To discuss the issues raised by farmers, which includes a law guaranteeing assured prices for their produce, the government had also told farm unions that it proposed
to set up a committee of representatives as well as experts who should be nominated both by farm unions and the government to examine “all agitation-related issues”.
The move was hailed by experts as a step back by the government, and they expected farmers to reciprocate. The farm unions, too, said they would discuss the government’s fresh offer, sparking hopes of a resolution.
But Thursday’s inflexible position by the farmers now leaves few options to resolve the crisis. Rakesh Tikait, the leader of BKU (Tikait faction) said the full general body of the farm unions felt that accepting the government’s proposal would defeat the purpose of the agitation.
Joginder Singh Ugrahan, another senior farm leader, said the government’s proposal would “divert and delay” the farmers’ demands.
The government has pushed a set of agricultural laws to ease restrictions in farm trade, allow traders to stockpile large quantities of food stocks for future sales and lay down a national framework for contract farming based on written agreements.
NEW DELHI: The second round of meeting between the police and farmer unions regarding the proposed January 26 tractor rally by them remained inconclusive on Thursday as the farmers stuck to their demand of taking out the rally on Delhi’s busy Outer Ring Road.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said the police wanted the farmer leaders to take out their tractor rally outside the national capital. “We will do our parade peacefully inside Delhi. They wanted us to hold the tractor rally outside Delhi, which is not possible,” Yadav, who is actively participating in the ongoing agitation against the Centre’s new farm laws, said.
Sources said police officers tried to convince the protesting farm unions to hold their tractor rally on the Kundli-manesar-palwal (KMP) Expressway instead of the Outer Ring Road, but in vain. A farmer leader, who attended the meeting with the police, said, “The government wants us to take out our rally outside Delhi, but we want to hold it inside Delhi. No decision was taken in today’s meeting.” Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) S S Yadav coordinated the meeting held at Mantram Resort near the Singhu border.
The meeting was also attended by Special Commissioner (Law and Order-western Zone) Sanjay Singh, Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Dependra Pathak and other senior officers from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police.
A similar meeting was held on Wednesday between the union leaders and officers of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana police at Vigyan Bhawan to discuss the route and arrangements of the proposed rally on January 26.
However, the farmer unions had rejected a suggestion by the police officers to hold the rally on the Kundli-manesarpalwal Expressway instead of Delhi’s busy Outer Ring Road, sources said.
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at several Delhi border points against the Centre’s new agriculture laws for nearly two months.
UNION LEADERS SAY THE POLICE WANTED THE PROTESTING FARMERS TO TAKE OUT THEIR TRACTOR RALLY OUTSIDE NATIONAL CAPITAL, WHICH WAS NOT POSSIBLE