Punjab-based farmers’ body — Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) — has once again refused to participate in a meeting called by the Centre over the farm laws — citing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from the meeting and not inviting all unions.
Accusing the Central Government of “dividing” the farmers’ movement, KMSC — one of the 32 farmers’ unions from Punjab invited for the talks with the Centre — on Tuesday demanded that the representatives of all farmer unions be invited for talks.
“A committee of several farmers’ bodies has not been invited, and moreover, the Prime Minister is not holding this meeting. Because of these reasons, KMSC is not going to attend the meeting,” said KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.
Notably, the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on late Monday night extended the invitation to the leaders of farmer unions for talks on Tuesday, instead of December 3, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and cold.
Pandher accused the Government of trying to divide the protesting farmers by not inviting all the farmer unions.
“If 32 Punjab-based farmers’ bodies have been invited, a committee representing around 500 farmers’ organizations is also there which should have also been invited,” he said.
“By not inviting all farmers’ bodies, an attempt is being made to divide the farmer organizations. If we attend the meeting, it will be presumed that this agitation (against farm laws) is only taking place in Punjab, which could be the conspiracy of the Centre,” he claimed.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that these farm laws are in the interest of the farming community, Pandher said: “He (the PM) has already given his decision before the meeting. And now, no Minister can go against the PM.”
It may be noted that the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) had earlier also refused to accept the Centre’s offer to hold talks twice.