Farmers who have spent the last 15 months protesting farm laws and demanding a legal guarantee for MSP may be about to give up after accepting the government’s second draught proposal, which includes assurances of MSP and the dismissal of all police investigations.
“The central government provided us with a revised draught as a result of our demands regarding farmers’ protests against three farm laws. We’ll meet again tomorrow as soon as we receive a formal letter from the center. The demonstrations are still going on “Gurnam Singh Charuni declared himself to be a farmer leader.
Thousands of farmers who have been camped out around Delhi will be allowed to return home tomorrow at 12 p.m. when a final decision on reducing the protest intensity will be made.
The government is staging a walkout in protest after a stunning series of U-turns, including repealing farm laws, withdrawing police cases against farmers, and, most importantly, offering a written guarantee to consider their long-standing demand to make MSP, or minimum support price, official.
Farmers’ leaders met in Delhi earlier today to discuss a new government proposal, which included assurances that police cases against thousands of farmers related to farm law agitations and stubble burning would be immediately dropped.
Despite assurances that a committee would be formed to investigate the MSP demand, the government made one offer last night that required farmers to stop protesting before the police cases were dropped, which farmers indicated they were hesitant to do.
Members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (along with officials from the central and state governments and agricultural experts) can only be members of the MSP Committee, according to farmers.
It’s a retaliatory move against farmers who backed farm laws.
Farmer groups have also demanded that the government table the contentious
Electricity Amendment Bill only after meeting with them
Following the protests that resulted in the repeal of farm laws, Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly phoned farmers to discuss their concerns.
The government’s vehement defense of farm laws, which includes labeling protesting farmers “terrorists” and “Khalistanis,” represents a significant retreat.
As the BJP faces an image crisis in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and cannot afford to ignore farmers’ votes in Punjab and Uttarakhand, some see repealing the farm laws as a politically expedient decision. These two states will hold elections in 2016.
Last month, Prime Minister Modi apologized to farmers for their “apologies,” but they promised to continue their protests for a better deal on MSP until the issue was resolved.
