Farmers Movement Archive

Panel to pursue farmers’ demands

Deciding to continue with the farmers’ agitation, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), in a crucial meeting on Saturday, formed a five-member committee to discuss its remaining demands with the Government. The committee consists of Ashok Dhawale, Balbir Rajewal, Gurnam Charuni, Shivkumar Sharma ‘Kakkaji’ and Yudhvir Singh. The SKM emphasised that these names were not for the MSP committee, as sought by the Central Government. Instead, a release said the panel had been mandated to discuss the pending demands from the SKM’s six-point letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. Demanding immediate withdrawal of cases lodged against farmers during the agitation, farmer leaders also expressed regret at Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar’s statement in Parliament wherein he said that there was no record of farmers’ deaths during the agitation. Insisting that oral assurances won’t do, Mr. Sharma said farmers would not return home until cases against them were withdrawn. “We have had painful experiences of the past,” he said. Describing the Minister’s statement in Parliament as “reprehensible”, he reminded that the Government had yet to respond to the SKM’s letter in writing. ‘Govt. running away’ “The Government has data of each and every death. There are records in police stations, post mortems were conducted ... the Government is running away from its responsibility,” Mr. Sharma said. Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson, Bhartiya Kisan Union, said, “The next meeting is scheduled for December 7, with the next two days kept for the Government to respond to the SKM and work with the five-member committee to resolve the agitation to its logical conclusion.” Describing the five-member committee as the “authorised body” to discuss all pending issues with the Government, Mr. Tikait said the committee would also decide who would talk with the different State Governments. On the SKM agreeing to form a smaller committee, Mr. Tikait said that earlier there was an apprehension that a smaller committee might come under pressure to agree to amendments in the farm laws.

The Hindu

2021-12-05

New Delhi