Unions Hold Meeting at Singhu Border; Many Farmers in Favour of Reforms, Says Agriculture Minister
17-December-2020

A day after the Supreme Court said the government's negotiations with the protesting farmers have "not worked apparently" and it will form a committee having representatives of the both the sides to resolve the deadlock, the top court will resume hearing the petition seeking removal of protesting farmers from the borders. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is leading the government side in the negotiations, said the ongoing agitation at Delhi's borders is limited to one state and farmers of Punjab are being "misled" by the Opposition. He, however, expressed hope that there will be a solution "soon" to the ongoing impasse. Protesting farmer unions said constituting a new panel to break the stalemate on the three new agri laws is not a solution as they want a complete withdrawal of the legislations. They also said the government should have formed a committee of farmers and others before the laws were enacted by Parliament. Abhimanyu Kohar, a leader of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sabha which is one of 40 protesting farmer unions, said they have already rejected a recent government offer to form such a panel.

Taking to Twitter, Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav, who is also a member of umbrella group Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, said, "The SC can and must decide on the constitutionality of the 3 farm acts. But it is not for the judiciary to decide on the feasibility and desirability of these laws. That's between the farmers and their elected leaders. SC monitored negotiation would be a wrong path." Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), which has been leading the agitation at Tikri border, said that there would be no meaning of a new committee now. Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.