Farmer groups rejected the committee, saying its members were already in favor of farm laws.
New Delhi:
The national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, Bhupinder Singh Mann, resigned from the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate the Center’s controversial agricultural laws, saying that he did not wish to “compromise the interests of farmers.” His decision came a day before the next round of talks between the government and farmers. The matter will now return to court for further orders.
A statement by Mr. Mann today read: “As a farmer and union leader, in light of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions among agricultural unions and the general public, I am willing to sacrifice whatever position is offered or given to me in order not to compromise the interests of Punjab and the country’s farmers. “
Bhupinder Mann, who heads his own BKU faction, was part of the four-member committee formed by the high court on Tuesday to begin a dialogue with farmers and the government and suggest a solution to the 50-day protest that continues on the borders. from the national capital. Farmer groups, however, had rejected the committee, saying its members were already in favor of farm laws and accused the government of manipulating the issue.
Mr. Mann is one of the few farm union leaders who has supported the Center’s new farm laws. He was part of a group of farmers that met with the Union Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Tomar, in December.
“Bhupender Mann’s organization, BKU, fired him, so he resigned. He used his position for political advantage,” said Rajinder Singh Deepsinghwala, a member of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha.
The protesting peasants, he said, see the resignation as a “small victory” as it has “discredited the committee formed by the Supreme Court.”
In addition to Mr. Mann, the committee included Dr. Parmod Kumar Joshi, an agricultural economist who is also the Director for South Asia of the International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Farm Costs and Prices Commission, and Anil Ghanwat, the head of Shetkari Sanghatana, who in articles written in the media have expressed opinions in favor of farm laws.
The VP Singh government granted Mann a seat in the Rajya Sabha in 1990, at a time when farmer protests were banned in Punjab. Mann’s decision to accept the offer led to a split at the BKU.
His son, Gurpratap Singh Mann, is a member of the Congress party and the party government in Punjab appointed him a member of the Punjab Public Service Commission.
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