The four members of the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to help resolve the ongoing farmers’ protest have taken a pro-farm law stance in the past, NDTV found. The committee was named tonight in a court order, which was hearing a slew of petitions challenging the Center’s agricultural laws passed in parliament in September. In its order, the court said the committee will hear “farmer complaints related to farm laws and government views and make recommendations.”
Farmer groups have said they will not accept the committee or hold discussions with them. The committee, they said, included members in favor of farm laws. “We do not accept this committee, all the members of this committee have been pro-government and these members have been justifying the laws,” said Punjab farmers unions.
The list includes Bhupinder Singh Mann, the national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union and the All India Kisan Coordination Committee; Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi, Agricultural Economist who is also Director for South Asia of the International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission on Agricultural Prices and Costs; Anil Ghanwat, the head of Shetkari Sanghatana, who in articles written in the media has expressed opinions in favor of the agricultural laws.
Mr. Gulati, who was also a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council from 1999 to 2001, has written opinion pieces in national newspapers and has also spoken to the media in support of agricultural laws.
For example, in December, he told the Times of India that all three farm laws would benefit farmers. He has also written op-ed for the Indian Express, titled “Farm Laws Challenges Make Socialist Era, Attempt to Undo the 1991 Moment of Farming” and “We Need Laws That Give Farmers More Space to Sell Their Products . This account”.
Mr. Ghanwat is the president of Shetkari Sangathan, which is a Maharashtra-based group that has celebrated the new agricultural laws.
Mr Ghanwat told NDTV today that farmers should have the right to market their products and stressed the need to “reform” the new laws. The amendment of the existing laws was what the government had offered to the farmers, making it clear that there would be no repeal as required.
However, he also said that the government should have consulted with farmers before going ahead with the legislation. Praising the Supreme Court order underlining the need for discussion, he said: “There was not much discussion with farmers’ organizations before the new farm law was enacted, due to which many misunderstandings have spread among farmers.” .
Mann was part of a group of farmers who met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in December to express their support for the new laws.
The fourth member of the committee, Mr. Joshi, has written multiple op-ed pieces in the past, supporting the new farm laws. In an article co-authored by him for the Financial Express, he said that “any dilution in farm laws will limit Indian agriculture to take advantage of emerging global opportunities.”
“Eliminating the three farm laws will be disastrous for the entire agricultural sector, even more so for farmers,” reads another article co-written by Joshi for Financial Express.
In ordering the formation of the committee today, said Chief Justice of India SA Bobde. We want to solve the problem and that’s why we are making the committee ”.
“We have the power to appoint a committee, which will submit to us. Anyone who is genuinely interested in solving the problem can go to the committee.”
In its order for the formation of the committee, the court made the attendance of representatives of all farmers’ bodies compulsory.
“Representatives of all peasant organizations, whether they make a protest or not and support or oppose the laws, will participate in the Committee’s deliberations and present their points of view,” the court said.
“The Committee, upon listening to the Government as well as representatives of the farmers’ bodies and other interested parties, will present a report to this court with its recommendations,” the court said.
The committee must hold its first session in ten days and present its report in two months.
The court has ordered the freezing of agricultural laws by which thousands of farmers have been in agitation on the borders of Delhi since November 26. The court said the matter must be resolved urgently.
“These are questions of life and death. We are concerned with the laws. We are concerned with the lives and property of the people affected by the unrest. We are trying to solve the problem in the best way. One of the powers we have is to suspend the legislation.” Judge Bobde had said.
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