Farmers Movement Archive

Govt. asks farmers’ unions to reconsider its proposal

Responding to an appeal on Thursday from the Centre that the farmers’ unions reconsider its proposal for amendments to the three agriculture sector laws and resume dialogue, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint front of the farmers’ unions, maintained that they too had not “shut the doors” for negotiations. However, they said the government must come up with a “concrete solution” to end the impasse. A day after the unions rejected the government’s proposal, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, at a joint press conference with Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, said he was “pained” to see that the farmers were not able to make a decision despite all their doubts being addressed by the government. He made an appeal to the farmers to consider the proposal sent by the Centre and resume talks. Mr. Tomar said the government was ready for talks with an “open mind”, adding that the farmers should decide on the next date of talks. He said the unions should give up the path of agitation and it was not correct to intensify the stir when talks were still on. He said he was “hopeful” of a solution to the matter. ‘No law completely bad’ When asked about the possibility of the withdrawal of the laws, Mr. Tomar maintained that no law was “completely bad”. Mr. Goyal said the government was “very, very open and flexible” to find an amicable solution to the concerns raised by the farmers. “We make an honest appeal to the union leaders to allow the farmers to return to their villages and continue dialogue with the government to dispel any apprehensions,” he said. In reply to a question, Mr. Goyal said the media should use its “investigative skills” to find out whether the farmers were being misled. Reacting to the government’s appeal, Bharatiya Kisan Union (R) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, speaking at an SKM press conference at the Singhu border, said the farmers, too, had not “shut the doors” for talks, but stressed that the government must offer a “concrete solution” for the dialogue to resume. He said the proposal sent on Wednesday had been discussed for hours and there was nothing new in them. He reiterated that agriculture was a State subject and the three laws were “unconstitutional” and should be withdrawn.

The Hindu

2020-12-11

NEW DELHI