Amidst the continuing standoff between the farmers and the Central Government over resumption of train services in Punjab, the state unit of the saffron party has reached out to the two Union Ministers in an apparent attempt to resolve the issue.
Punjab’s former minister and senior BJP leader Surjit Kumar Jyani, who had accused the his own party’s government at the Centre of not listening the farmers, on Sunday met the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to urge them to hold talks with the farmers to bring an end to the impasse.
Jyani pointed that the BJP led Central Government had always resolved issues by holding talks and in the current situation too, the Government must listen to the farmers.
Notably, Jyani, days before, had accused its own party’s government at the Centre of “victimizing the farmers” and not listening to them for their protest against the Centre’s three farm laws.
Jyani had even lashed out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda for not reaching out to farmers. “If the Government wanted to resolve the farmers’ issues, it could have done so in five minutes,” Jyani had stated on Thursday.
Notably, the farmers across the country has been protesting against the Centre’s three farm legislations — Farmer (Empowerment and Security) Price Assurance and Agricultural Services Act, 2020; Agri-Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilities) Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — apprehending that they will be left to the mercy of the big corporates with the Centre also set to do away with the MSP regime.
It has been learnt that both the Ministers have maintained that they are ready to hold talks with the farmers and allay all their fears and doubts.
“The Centre is ready to work for the welfare of the farmers, and is ready to meet them, and allay their fears,” a senior BJP leader told The Pioneer.
Available information suggests that the Union Ministers have also agreed to meet the farmers’ representatives at any time.
It has also been learnt that Jyani called up the prominent farmer representative Balbir Singh Rajewal with whom the Union Home Minister also talked for about 15 minutes.
Notably, the farmers’ organizations have made it clear that they were ready to hold talks not only on the three agriculture Acts, but also on the ordinance on pollution, electricity amendment Bill and no interest waiver on farm loans.
Listing out the conditions, Punjab’s 30 farmer outfits have maintained that the farmers would be ready to talk only if will be “formally invited” for the meeting.
Besides, the farm outfits have maintained that the Centre should clearly disclose the name of the person who will represent it, be it the Minister or any officer, and only such a person should be send for the meeting who is authorized to take decisions.
However, the farmers and Central Government is on collision course over the resumption of both goods and passenger trains services.
While the farmers have cleared all the railway tracks shifting their protests other locations for “goods trains only”, the Centre is adamant on running both passenger and goods trains.
To resolve the deadlock which is costing Punjab to a great extent, the State Government is holding consultations with the farmers and also the centre and railways authorities.