On a day when the Supreme Court said that it might appoint a panel headed by a former Chief Justice of India to resolve the deadlock over the three farm laws, the farmer unions on Monday said they would not appear before it.
“While all (farmer) organisations welcome the suggestions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court to stay the implementation of the farm laws, they are collectively and individually not willing to participate in any proceedings before a committee that may be appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” the statement by Samyukt Kisan Morcha said.
The Supreme Court, during the hearing on Monday, said that it might set up of a committee headed by a former Chief Justice of India (CJI) to find ways to resolve the impasse.
The farmer unions cited the Centre’s “stubborn attitude” and approach towards their demand as the reason for not taking part in any negotiated settlement of the matter with the Supreme Court-mandated panel.
“We met our lawyers this evening at length and after deliberation on pros and cons of the suggestions of to the committee, we informed them that we are unanimously not agreeable to go before any committee. That may be appointed by Hon’ble Supreme Court today due to stubborn attitude of the government,” the statement said.
It added, “Farmers and we as their representatives once again express our gratitude to the Hon’ble Supreme Court but regret our inability to accede their suggestions. Since our struggle is for the welfare of hundreds of millions of farmers across the country, and it is in larger public interest, while govt falsely propagates that agitation is confined only to farmers of Punjab, thousands of farmers from Haryana, UP, Utrakhand, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra and some other states are assembled on the borders of Delhi while thousands more are protesting at various places of different states at this very moment.”