The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said on Wednesday that the draft proposal sent to it by the Centre a day ago had some flaws, adding that it sent back the proposal last night itself after making some amendments to it.
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“We appreciate that the government is ready for talks and is giving something in writing. But the proposal had a few flaws, so last night, we sent it back with some amendments and are awaiting the government's response," Ashok Dhawale, who is on the SKM's 5-member committee to negotiate with the Centre on the remaining issues post the repeal of the farm laws, said, according to news agency ANI.
Dhawale further said that the Union government's condition, that the cases registered against farmers will be withdrawn once the agitation is called off, was ‘wrong.’ He said, “The formation of a committee, to focus on Minimum Support Price (MSP) is needed. The government also said that the cases registered against us will be taken back after we finish the movement, which is wrong. We don't like sitting here in the cold.”
{{/usCountry}}Dhawale further said that the Union government's condition, that the cases registered against farmers will be withdrawn once the agitation is called off, was ‘wrong.’ He said, “The formation of a committee, to focus on Minimum Support Price (MSP) is needed. The government also said that the cases registered against us will be taken back after we finish the movement, which is wrong. We don't like sitting here in the cold.”
{{/usCountry}}He also proposed the ‘Punjab model’ for compensation to farmers who lost their lives in the course of the agitation. “We were also promised that the Electricity Bill will be taken back. However, now they want to discuss it with the stakeholders and then put it up in the Parliament. It's contradictory,” Dhawale further remarked.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation on November 19, announced that the three contentious central agricultural laws were being rolled back. On November 29, day 1 of the ongoing Winter session of Parliament, a bill to repeal the legislations was passed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
However, the protesting farmers have refused to call off their stir until six of their remaining demands are fulfilled. These include a law on MSP, financial compensation to deceased farmers, withdrawal of cases registered against cultivators, among others.