New Delhi: The government Wednesday proposed to suspend the three contentious farm laws for one-and-half-years and set up a joint committee to discuss the Acts to end the stalemate. However, the farmer leaders did not immediately accept the proposal. They said they will revert after their internal consultations. However, the government’s decision to suspend the farm laws is definitely a moral victory for the farmer unions.
The next meeting has been scheduled for January 22. It will be the 11th round of talks after the farmer unions hold their internal discussions Thursday. This information was given by the farmer leaders after the 10th round of talks ended at Vigyan Bhawan here after nearly five hours.
“The government proposed to suspend the farm laws for one-and-a- half years. We rejected the proposal but since it has come from the government, we will meet tomorrow (Thursday) and deliberate over it,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said.
Another farmer leader Kavitha Kuruganti said the government also proposed to submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court for suspending the three farm laws for a mutually-agreed period and set up a committee.
The leaders said unions are firm on their demand for a complete repeal of the laws. However, they will still discuss the government’s proposal and give their final decision in the next meeting.
During the meeting, the government also offered to amend the three laws. However, farmer union leaders stuck to their demand of repeal of the laws. They alleged that the Centre was avoiding discussion on a legal guarantee for MSP.
Farmer leaders said there was no breakthrough in the first two sessions. Both sides were stuck on their stated positions vis-a-vis the three farm laws. There was little hope of any outcome other than fixing the date for the 11th round.
Sources said the government proposed to keep the three farm laws suspended for a fixed time period. It also said a committee comprising of farmer union leaders and government representatives should be set up.
The ministers proposed that the laws would remain suspended till the committee gives its report. It also urged farmer unions to suspend their agitation too till that time, sources added.
The laws have already been stayed till further orders by the Supreme Court. It has formed a committee to resolve the deadlock. The committee had its first meeting Tuesday and will begin its consultations with various stakeholders Thursday. The panel has been asked to give its report in two months.
Farmer leaders also raised the issue of NIA notices being served to some farmers. They alleged it was being done just to harass those supporting the agitation. The government representatives said they will look into the matter.
The meeting began at around 2.45 pm with the three ministers greeting farmer leaders on the occasion of ‘Gurupurab’. Among the government representatives were Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
The meeting resumed at around 5.15pm after a lunch break, but the two sides took another break at around 6.00pm during which the farmer leaders discussed the government proposal for suspending the laws for a fixed period of time.
The farmer leaders presented multiple Parliament replies given by the agriculture minister where he had stated that agriculture is a state subject, while one reply mentioned even agri-marketing as a state subject.