Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers firm on laws’ repeal, cold so far to govt talks offer

NEW DELHI: The government’s offer to talk, reiterated by PM Narendra Modi, failed to cut any ice with farmer unions opposing the new farm laws as they continued to press for their core demand of “repeal of three laws” and alleged the Centre was aiming to frustrate farmers without actually offering anything concrete. “We are in no hurry and are here to stay on the highways till the (farm) laws are repealed,” said the unions, underlining that they have never refused any talks, but at the same time making it clear that the agenda includes their main demands, including a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP). They appeared adamant after a discussion on the agriculture ministry’s third letter and Modi’s address where he highlighted why the central laws were important for the well-being of farmers and how certain people with political motives are propagating a false narrative around the farm reforms. The ministry on Thursday even agreed to discuss the MSP issue despite not finding it logical to club it with the issues of new farm legislations. “Farmers want legal guarantee to MSP and this is the only logic that will work,” said Avik Saha, national convenor of Jai Kisan Andolan and general secretary of AIKSCC, while articulating the farmer leaders’ collective stand. Leaders within the farmers’ umbrella body, AIKSCC, continued to hold a view that there cannot be any meaningful discussion unless the government spells out terms under which farm laws can be repealed and MSP can be legally guaranteed while keeping the new legislations in abeyance. They will meet on Saturday morning to draft their written reply to the ministry’s letter. “We may send our reply to the government by Saturday evening,” said a farmer leader. The working group of the umbrella body, meanwhile, called upon all units to observe December 26 — the occasion of completion of one month of protests — as “Dhikkar Diwas” as well as “Anti Corporate stir targeting services and products of Ambani and Adani”.

The Times of India

2020-12-26

India