Two Union Ministers — Narendra Singh Tomar (Agriculture) and Piyush Goyal (Railways) — has finally sent a “formal” invite to Punjab’s 29 farmers’ organisations to hold talks on the ongoing agitation against the Centre’s new farm legislations and the resumption of train services in the State.
As per the letter from the Union Agriculture secretary Sudhanshu Panday, sent by Wednesday evening, a total of 29 farmers’ union leaders have been invited for talks with the two Ministers on November 13 (Friday) at Vigyan Bhawan.
To chalk out the strategy and the agenda, all the farmers’ outfits have convened a meeting on November 12 (Thursday).
The formal invite came a day after Punjab BJP’s senior leader Surjit Kumar Jyani, who had met the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Tomar on Sunday, declared that the farmers would soon be “formally” invited for the meeting, while also announcing November 13 as the date for the same.
Farmers in Punjab, who have been protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws passed by the Parliament in September since then, have all along been demanding presence of a Union Minister in the meeting with the Centre.
The farmers have already made it clear that they would be ready for talks “only if” they 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.
Earlier, the farmers’ leaders had gone to the national capital for the meeting with the Centre on October 14. However, they boycotted the meeting and staged a walk out finding only the Centre’s Agriculture Secretary for the meeting and not any Union Minister to hold talks with them.
Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) state president Balbir Singh Rajewal, a prominent farmers’ leader who has been invited for the meeting, said that all the outfits “are scheduled to meet on November 12 at Chandigarh. We have been taking all decision collectively and now also, we will collectively chalk out the entire strategy for the meeting with the Central Ministers”.
The farmers’ organizations have already asserted that they wanted to discuss not only on the three new agriculture acts, but also the ordinance on pollution, electricity amendment Bill, and no interest waiver on farm loans.
“We started our protest against the three farm laws. But the Centre, during this time has also taken several decisions which we wanted to include in the meeting, No doubt, our main agenda will be to get the three black laws repeal, but we also wanted to discuss other important issues affecting the farmers,” said a farm leader, who did not wish to be named.The farm leader listed, ordinance against the stubble burning — under which non-compliance of rules or orders would attract a jail term up to five years or fine up to Rs one crore or both; Electricity Amendment Bill — a reform legislation aimed at increasing private participation in the sector; and lastly keeping out farmers from any benefit under interest exemption scheme extended to those who have availed loans.
Underlining that the new laws would leave them at the mercy of big corporate besides ending the MSP regime, the farmers had staged ‘Rail Roko’ agitation, blocking all train traffic by occupying railway tracks across Punjab from October 1 to November 3. Besides, the farmers are also holding protests outside the residences of BJP leaders, besides the petrol pumps, toll plazas, shopping malls or retail outlets owned by big corporate houses. However, the farmers have vacated all the railway tracks to allow the movement of “goods trains only”, while the Centre remained adamant on allowing resumption of goods trains only if the passenger trains were also allowed smooth and safe passage.
With the farmers and centre on collision course, the Railway Authorities has decided to keep all rail services suspended till November 12 — resulting in huge losses to Punjab in terms of industry, power, agriculture, among others.