Farmers Movement Archive

Farm laws row: Punjab farmers’ body rejects govt’s invitation for talks; says ‘govt not serious’

The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, the farmers’ body which is spearheading the agitation in Punjab against the central government’s three contentious farm laws, on Wednesday said Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar had invited it for a meeting in Delhi on October 8.However, it said it turned down the invitation as ‘the government is not serious.’“We got a telephone call from the Union agriculture minister yesterday. He also sent a mail asking us to come to Delhi for a meeting on October 8. We’ve decided that we won’t participate in any meeting as the government is not serious,” Sarvan Singh Pandher, the state secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said. We got telephone call from Union Agriculture Minister y'day. He also sent a mail asking us to come to Delhi for a meeting on Oct 8. We've decided that we won't participate in any meeting as govt is not serious: Sarvan Singh Pandher, State Secy of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee https://t.co/7DmnplALtc pic.twitter.com/sTSyj7yk77Earlier, the secretary of the department of agriculture, which comes under the Union agriculture ministry, had written to the farmers’ body, inviting it for a meeting at Krishi Bhawan in the national capital on Thursday to address its concerns over the laws.The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee has been holding a ‘rail roko’ agitation against the laws in Punjab since September 24. Initially meant to last for three days, the agitation now stands extended till October 8.The three laws, then bills, were passed by Parliament last month amid vociferous protests by the opposition. The bills became laws after receiving President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent on September 27.Farmers argue that the legislations will completely dismantle the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system, thus leaving them at the mercy of corporates. However, the government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has repeatedly assured the farmers the MSP will not be withdrawn.Despite the government’s assurance, farmers across the country have continued to protest against the laws, with Punjab and Haryana being the epicentre of these anti-farm laws protests.

Hindustan Times

07-10-2020

India