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'Govt has to repeal farm laws': Farmers' union ahead of tenth round of talks with Centre
Leaders of all 40 farm unions which are taking part in the protest will meet three cabinet ministers of the government for talks this afternoon in an effort to end the impasse.
The government has to repeal the three farm laws, one of the farmers' unions asserted on Wednesday ahead of the 10th round of talks with the Centre. "The government has to make legislation on Minimum Support Price and repeal the three farm laws. Our protest is against the government and the corporate system," said Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) which is spearheading the movement.
Leaders of all 40 farm unions which are taking part in the protest will meet three cabinet ministers of the government for talks this afternoon in an effort to end the impasse.
In the last meeting, the Centre had suggested that the unions constitute their own informal group to prepare a concrete proposal on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting. Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar also assured that the government will hear the proposal with an "open mind".
Tens of thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are agitating against three farm laws enacted by the government in September last year. The central government has projected the laws as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these laws will remain and have offered to make amendments into the law.
The contentious farm laws are farmers are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the legislation till further orders. It also formed a committee to scrutinise the laws and resolve the stand-off which is continuing for the last 56 days now.
