NEW DELHI: Amid ongoing protests by thousands of farmers, the government on Wednesday sent a draft proposal to its leaders to persuade them to end their current agitation against farm laws. The draft of the proposal was sent to 13 agricultural union leaders, including Joginder Singh Urgrahan of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), one of the largest among the nearly 40 agitator unions, the ANI news agency reported.
Peasant Leaders on Singhu Border Receive Draft Proposal from Government of India#Agricultural Laws pic.twitter.com/zBQuOjY3F3
– ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2020
In the draft proposal, the government has proposed to provide a “written guarantee” that the existing Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime for acquisitions will continue. The government also proposed making necessary amendments on at least seven issues, including one to allay fears about the weakening of the mandi system.
Farmers have been offered to register private mandi and then be subject to the same terminations as APMC. But the draft bill did not mention anything about the main demand from farmers protesting the repeal of the laws.
The farmers union is now holding informal discussions on the proposal submitted by the government to decide its future course of action. “The farmers’ unions have received the draft proposal from the government,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait. He is one of many union leaders involved in ongoing negotiations with the government.
“Now we are going to hold discussions on the proposal sent by the Government of India,” said Manjeet Singh, president of the state of BKU, Doaba. According to the sources, the draft of the proposal was prepared by the Union Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, to introduce amendments to the agricultural laws.
Now we are going to hold discussions on the proposal sent by the Government of India: Manjeet Singh, BKU State President, Doaba https://t.co/KpvXjgTNAJ pic.twitter.com/bhta8pv4ho
– ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2020
The sources said that Tomar had sent the proposal with amendments to the Union Minister of the Interior for approval. According to sources, the Center has assured that 1. MSP will not go and the Center will continue with MSP; 2. Big change in the APMC law; 3. Private actors must register to do business with farmers; 4. In contract farming, farmers will have the opportunity to approach the normal court. The Center will constitute a separate fast track field; 5. The Center has agreed to tax private players.
Hours earlier, Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson for the Bharatiya Kisan Union, had said that the sixth round of talks had been canceled and that farmers would hold a meeting on the Center’s draft proposal.
Union Interior Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with protesting farmers on Tuesday night did not resolve the impasse over farm laws and resulted in the postponement of the sixth round of talks with the Center scheduled for Wednesday.
When the protest entered on Day 14, farmers continued to protest against the Center’s controversial agricultural laws at various borders in Delhi, including the Tikri and Singhu borders.
More than 32 farmers’ organizations under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha would meet at noon at the Singhu border to discuss their main demands and future action plan.
Bharatiya Kisan Manch leader Boota Singh said the morning meeting was a kind of preparation, while the second meeting will discuss the Center’s written proposals on their demands.
All three agricultural laws must be repealed. This is our demand. If the proposal only talks about amendments, then we will reject it, said Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab on the Singhu border.
On live Tv
.
