Published 11:38 IST, January 14th 2021
Farmer unions to discuss Republic Day tractor parade plan; some open to talks with Centre
Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Thursday said that decision on the tractor rally will be reconsidered and a united front of the farmer unions will hold a meeting soon
Even as farmers unions have said that they will go ahead with their Republic Day tractor rally and their agitation at the Delhi border despite Supreme Court's direction to form a 4-member panel, Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Thursday said that the decision on the tractor rally will be reconsidered. Samyukta Kisan Morcha has also decided to continue talks with Centre and has said that the united front of the farmers' union will hold a meeting and then decide on the proposed tractor march on January 26. They have also dismissed the reports of farmers' marching inside Delhi and stressed that farmers' union would join the talks with Centre if invited on January 15.
The farmers' unions appreciated the fact that the Apex Court had declined to pass any order to stop the ongoing protests. While the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) welcomed the stay on the implementation of the farm laws, it had added that the repeal of the farm laws is the only solution as the implementation can be reinstated at any point in time. Moreover, the unions had reiterated that they will not participate in a court-mandated committee process.
Supreme Court halts farm laws' implementation
On Tuesday, a three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian laid down the roadmap for the resolution of the standoff by staying the implementation of The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Moreover, it has not only ordered that the MSP system in place before the enactment of the agrarian legislation shall continue but also made it clear that the landholdings of the farmers shall be protected. The SC-constituted committee comprising agricultural economist Ashok Gulati, BKU national president Bhupinder Singh Mann, Pramod Kumar Joshi- Director, South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute and Shetkari Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat will solicit the views of farm unions and the Centre.
This panel has been directed to submit its recommendations pertaining to the farm laws to the SC within two months from the date of its first sitting. Additionally, the representatives of all farmer unions, irrespective of whether they are holding a protest or not, have been asked to participate in the deliberations of the 4-member committee and put forth their viewpoints. Though the court said that it did not intend to stifle a "peaceful protest", it appealed to the farmers' unions to convince their members to get back to their livelihood as a result of this "extraordinary order".
Updated 11:38 IST, January 14th 2021