The farmers-government face-off on the newly-enacted agriculture related laws cannot go on indefinitely. Ending the impasse, the farmers’ bodies on Tuesday decided to initiate the dialogue process with the Central Government accepting its invitation for the October 14 meeting.
At the same time, the farm bodies have made it clear that the protests against “kaale kanoon” (black laws) will continue in the State.
As per the decision taken during the meeting on Tuesday, attended by as many 29 organizations, the representatives of all farmers’ unions will participate in the meeting on Wednesday with the Central Agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal over the new farm laws in New Delhi but only a seven-member panel would be allowed to talk.
Sharing the details of the meeting, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) chief Balbir Singh Rajewal said that a seven-member panel has been formed to hold talks with the Centre while the representatives of all farmers’ bodies will attend the meeting.
He said besides him, the panel includes Darshan Pal, Jagjit Singh Dalewal, Jagmohan Singh, Kulwant Singh, Surjit Singh and Satnam Singh Sahni.
Already, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, a farmers’ body in Punjab staging rail roko in Amritsar district, had announced its decision not to attend the Centre’s meeting pointing to the Prime Minister’s absence as the main reason for not accepting the invite.
Committee’s general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the meeting in Delhi has been called by a secretary-rank officer of the Union Agriculture Department who is not in a position to take a call on repealing these laws. “The Prime Minister should take out time to meet farmers and talk on the issue, which has lead to farmers’ protests in some parts of the country,” he said adding that the farmers’ bodies of other states, including Haryana, should also have been invited for the meeting.
The farmers’ organisations, whose agitation against the laws has disrupted rail traffic and severely impacted coal supply to thermal power plants in Punjab, had last week rejected the Centre’s invitation to participate in a “conference to address their concerns” on October 8.
Rajewal said that as per the invitation sent by the secretary of the Union Agriculture Department this time, the Centre wants to hold “talks” with them.
“We are going because if we continue to reject the invitation, then they will say we are not ready for any talks. We do not want to give them any excuse. We will go there, put forth our points, and see what they have to say,” said Rajewal.
Farmers in Punjab have been demanding that the three laws passed by Parliament recently be repealed. They have expressed apprehension that the new laws will pave a way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates.
The Government, however, has all along been maintaining that the laws passed by the Parliament recently amid a vociferous protest will raise farmers’ income, free them from the clutches of the middlemen and usher in new technology in farming.
BKU UGRAHAN WITHDRAW FROM RAIL TRACKS
Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) on Tuesday decided to withdraw its agitation against the contentious farm laws from railway tracks, while continuing to stage protests against the BJP leaders and corporate houses.
Announcing the decision, BKU Ugrahan chief Shingara Singh Mann said that the protest was now entering ‘Stage II’ and would be staged outside BJP leaders’ residences in various cities and towns.
“We would intensify our protest outside corporate houses,” he said adding that the Union had started its protest at 37 sites which has now increased to 50 points.
Union’s general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said, “Every other union is already holding protest on the rail tracks, so we decided to intensify protests outside the residences of BJP leaders in Punjab.”
Notably, the other unions have decided to continue their ‘Rail Roko protests’, besides protesting outside the residences of BJP leaders.