Farmersv who have been protesting against the three farm laws on different borders of Delhi since 26 November last year, announced on Thursday that they were suspending their year-long agitation and would vacate the protest sites on 11 December.
The announcement came after the protesting farmers received a letter from the Central government, with promises of forming a committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and withdrawing cases against them immediately. “As far as the matter of compensation is concerned, UP and Haryana have given in-principle consent,” it read. Following a meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in Delhi, farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni said, “We have decided to suspend our agitation. We will hold a review meeting on 15 January. If the government does not fulfil its promises, we could resume our agitation.” Another farmer leader, Darshan Pal Singh said: “Protesting farmers will vacate the protest sites on 11 December.”
The farmers have started removing their tents from the protest site at Singhu on the Delhi-Haryana border. Farmers appear pleased that their demands have been met thus far, and they anticipate that the government will address their remaining concerns shortly. “I am happy that this long agitation against the three farm laws is ending. The government has listened to us. Although there are some demands that are yet to be considered, such as the Electricity Amendment Bill and the government has not discussed much on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, I am sure our voices will be heard, and the other demands will be met soon,” a farmer told The Daily Guardian.
All the protesting farmers have received a letter from the government, stating that a committee on MSP will be formed and the cases will be withdrawn against them. Some of the pending issues include the MSP guarantee, withdrawal of the draft on Electricity Amendment Bill, withdrawal of criminal cases against farmers, and providing compensation for the families of the farmers who have died during the protest. The government has clearly stated in Parliament that the state governments are maintaining the information related to the number of farmers who have died during the protest at Delhi borders. In a written reply, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said, “Police and public order are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The information, in this regard, is maintained by the respective state governments.”
Happy about getting reunited with his family once again, Gurmail Singh told this paper, “It’s been a few hours; I’m glad and looking forward to seeing my family. The prolonged agitation is coming to an end.” He was busy preparing to return to Punjab.
Meanwhile, the SKM will monitor whether the Union Government is keeping the commitments regarding the withdrawal of police cases against the farmers, guarantee on MSP, and whether compensation is being provided to family members. The SKM has planned to have Fateh March at Delhi’s Morcha on 11 December at 9 am, when the farmers will start returning home.
On 19 November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre will bring necessary bills in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning later this month to repeal the farm laws. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on the first day of the winter session on 29 November. President Ram Nath Kovind has also given his assent to the Bill that completes the process of repealing the three farm laws.
Meanwhile, attacking the Opposition, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Sanjeev Balyan on Thursday said that now since the farmers are happy after the repeal of the three farm laws, the Opposition is left with no issue to do politics. Balyan, said, “Farmers are happy and they are going home with happy faces. Their happy faces have left the opposition with no issues for their politics. They (Opposition) never did any work so they were attacking us with the farmers’ agitation.” Speaking on MSP, Balyan said that the committee constituted by the Centre on MSP consists of farmer leaders as its members and the decision will be taken in the favour of the farmers. Balyan said, “The three farm laws were in the favour of the farmers, but the farmers were not happy; so the Prime Minister took the decision to repeal them.”
(WITH AGENCY INPUTS)