New Delhi: The protesting farmer unions have reached a consensus on the future course of the agitation. Sources said Tuesday that the farmers’ unions will call off their protests as nearly all their demands have been met. However, a formal announcement of the decision will be made Wednesday, farmer leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu said Tuesday.
“Nearly all demands raised by us have been met…. Letter (from government with assurances on farmers’ demands) has been received. A consensus has been reached, the final decision will be announced tomorrow,” Sandhu told reporters after a meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). It is an umbrella body of over 40 farmers’ unions.
Another farmer leader and SKM member said the agitation is likely to be called off Wednesday. This is because there have been some positive responses from the government side on the farmers’ demands. However, a final decision will be announced Wednesday after another meeting of SKM Wednesday.
The SKM has been spearheading the agitation. It had formed a five-member panel Saturday to hold talks with the government on the pending demands of the protesting farmers. Among them were legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) of crops, compensation to the kin of the farmers who died during the agitation against three agriculture laws and the withdrawal of cases against the protesters.
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Sources said the Centre was open to giving farmers a written assurance that their demands – which include legal guarantee for MSP and the dropping of all police cases against them, including those on stubble burning – would be met.
The farmers’ unions had also sought financial assistance for the kin of the 700-odd farmers who died during the agitation. The farmers referred to the Rs 5 lakh offered by the Punjab government. The Centre said that the UP and Haryana governments had, in principle, agreed to similar measures.
The farmers unions will again meet at 2.00pm in the afternoon at the Singhu border to hold a final discussion on the letter given by the Centre. Then in all probability they will announce that the protests have been called off.
