As farmers protest intensifies, Samkyukta Kisan Morcha announces 'Mahapanchayat'

An umbrella body of protesting farmer unions, the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha on Thursday announced that 'Kisan Maha Panchayat' will be organized in the coming days all across the country against the three farm laws. The morcha stated that it will not call off the ongoing protest until its demands to cancel the laws and legal guarantee for MSP on their produce are met. This comes a day after it announced a four-hour nationwide 'rail roko' on February 18. The farmers' body said in a statement that its teams are planning the programmes of the state-wise maha panchayat.

Protesting farmer leader Darshan Pal said a Mahapanchayat will be held in Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) on Friday, followed by Bahadurgarh bypass (Haryana) on February 13, Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan) on February 18, Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) on February 19, and Silkar (Rajasthan) on February 23.

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SC Tries To Resolve Standoff Over Farm Laws

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-constituted committee continued its deliberations on Thursday to resolve the standoff over the farm laws. Even as BKU president Bhupinder Singh Mann has opted out of the panel, the three other members- agricultural economist Ashok Gulati, Pramod Kumar Joshi- Director, South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, and Shetkari Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat interacted with government officials of 18 states- Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Delhi, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand. They not only gave their frank views about the agrarian laws but also gave suggestions to improve the implementation of the laws.

On January 12, the apex court stayed the implementation of the farm laws and made it clear that the MSP system shall continue. The committee has been directed to solicit the views of the farm unions and the Centre. Moreover, this panel will submit its recommendations pertaining to the farm laws to the SC within two months from the date of its first sitting. However, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has decided against participating in the proceedings of the SC-formed committee. 

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(With Agency Inputs)