Underlining these two main issues, a ‘conditional’ proposal from the group of 40 protesting unions, including 32 from Punjab, was sent to the Center two days after it received the revised proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture which mentioned that it was ready to discuss all the themes. including MSP.
Since the unions in their letter on Saturday established the pending issues according to the “sequence” proposed by them (the repeal of the laws and the guarantee of the MSP are the first and the second), the ministry officials feel that the formulation it can complicate negotiations with even less thorny issues. Caught up with the deal breakers
Although the Ministry of Agriculture has agreed to a wide-ranging discussion, it has indicated its unwillingness to consider removing laws it says benefit a large majority of farmers. The insistence by farmer agitators, mostly from Punjab and Haryana and some from western UP, that the laws be repealed has been the central obstacle since the talks began on October 13.
The other two points the unions want to add are keeping farmers out of the scope of the stubble burning sanctions provision in the new Delhi-NCR air quality management ordinance and changes to the draft of electricity amendment law to protect the interests of farmers. These are not a sticking point, as the Agriculture Ministry in its last letter to the agricultural unions on December 24 agreed to discuss additional points and has also hinted that the demands can be met.
“If you are sincere about listening respectfully to farmers, as you say in your letter, the government should not indulge in misinformation about past meetings. The campaign launched by the entire state machinery to smear and smear the peasant movement must stop immediately, ”said the letter, read by the leader of Swaraj India and Jai Kisan Andolan. Yogendra Yadav, at a joint press conference.
The unions have warned that if the next round of talks also ends in a stalemate, they will hold a massive march of tractor trucks on December 30. The groups urged agricultural activists from Punjab, Haryana and other states to reach the Singhu border and then march to Tikri and then to Shahjahanpur on the KMP highway. They urged the residents of Delhi to celebrate the New Year at the protest sites on January 1. BKU Ekta Dakonda Secretary General Jagmohan Singh said the government should end the blame game and BKU Chairman Rajewal. Balbir Singh Rajewal He said “Now, we have sent our agenda clearly mentioning the four points we want to talk about.”
This is the third letter written by the unions in response to so many from the Center. They had written on December 16, declaring unanimity among the group of 40 on what they conveyed to the government while rejecting their amendment proposals, and then another on December 23 that added the “higher MSP” clause more specifically.
Referring to previous letters from the ministry, the unions said they have always demanded “the repeal of the three central agricultural laws, while the government has distorted” their position as if they were calling for amendments to these laws.
The letter said that since the government is willing to hold a meeting on “date, time and issues” of the election of protesting unions, they are now making the proposal for talks on behalf of their coordinating body, Samyukt Kisan Morch, after proper consultation with all organizations. .
“This is to reiterate that farmers’ organizations are and always have been open to sincere dialogue,” the letter says. Unions also called on farmers to strike utensils in protest as the Prime Minister Narendra modi would be delivering your monthly radio address’Mann ki baat‘ on Sunday.
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