They demand Min’s presence; Punjab calls spl session for Bill to negate farm laws
The stand-off between the Centre and Punjab farmers continues as a delegation of protesting farmers’ leaders from Punjab invited for talks by Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal on Wednesday here cried foul and walked out of the meeting, demanding the presence of Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. The agitated farmers claimed the Government is least interested in solving farmers’ problems with no Minister present to hear them out.
Amid farmers’ protests across the State, Punjab has become the first State to reject the Centre’s farm laws. At the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh rejected the farm laws enacted by the Centre and convened a special Assembly session on October 19 to bring a legislation to counter the Centre’s farm laws.
The Punjab Cabinet’s move is expected to have overwhelming support, with both the ruling Congress and the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The CM had announced his Government will fight the “anti-federal and vicious farm laws tooth and nail through legislative, legal and other routes”.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Government is always open for discussion with farmers on the revolutionary farm laws. When asked about boycott by farmers’ body, Javadekar said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar have already held one round of discussion with farmer organisations on this issue.
“If someone wants more (discussion), we are always open (to) meet everyone. But Tomarji has an engagement today, therefore he has gone. When he will get free, he is meeting all. There is no problem in this,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Javadekar told the media after the Cabinet meeting.
A delegation of 29 farmers organisations, comprising Balbir Singh Rajewal, Darshan Pal, Jagjit Singh Dalewal, Jagmohan Singh, Kulwant Singh, Surjit Singh and Satnam Singh Sahni, who had come to attend meeting are said to have asked the Secretary what an administrative officer can do when the political leadership was not interested in repealing the recently-passed farm laws and walked out of the meeting.
After a one-and-a-half-hour long meeting with Agarwal, the farmers leaders were seen shouting slogans and tearing copies of new farm laws outside Krishi Bhavan.
Farmers’ leaders Jogjit Singh Dalewal and Jagmohan Singh said at least Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar should have been present at the meeting. The meeting was convened at the Krishi Bhavan amid police security to avoid any protest. Farmers’ leaders said that their agitation against the contentious farm laws will continue.
“No proper discussion took place. Neither Union Agriculture Minister nor junior Ministers were present to hear our concerns. We asked why the Minister is not meeting us, why the Government is playing double standards by calling us here and Ministers holding virtual meetings in Punjab. There was no proper response,” Darshan Pal, member of the coordination committee of 29 farmers’ organisations, told reporters after the meeting.
BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said the farmers’ representatives will meet in Chandigarh on Thursday to discuss the next course of action. “He (Agriculture Secretary) kept saying he wants to act as a bridge and help, etc. We asked why we were called when no Minister was present to talk to us. The Secretary said he will communicate our demands further,” said a farmer union leader.
“The meeting was an effort to try and create a false impression that the Central Government is engaging with farmers, when in fact it is going all out to roll out and enforce the anti-farmer laws,” the All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said in a statement.
“First, the Government should be ready to review and if necessary, repeal the three laws. Second, the Government should be ready to consider legislating the minimum support price as a legal right and deal with input cost, food security and other issues,” the AIKSCC statement said. Farmers also presented a memorandum of demands to the Government.
Farmers’ leaders who had come in a bus, were mostly senior citizens but had not even worn face masks despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Farmers have blocked roads and railway tracks since September 24 in a protest against legislations they fear could pave the way for the Government to stop buying cereals at guaranteed prices (minimum support prices or MSP), leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by private players.
The farmers’ organisations had decided on Tuesday to hold talks with the Centre. Meanwhile, the Central Ministers are reaching out farmers, scientists and agri professionals in Congress-ruled Punjab to clear misgivings about new farm laws. Eight Union Ministers including Hardeep Singh Puri have been deputed to hold virtual rallies over eight days from October 13 onwards to “address apprehensions” of farmers in Punjab. Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary held a virtual meeting on Wednesday with farmers of Sangrur and Barnala districts.