CHANDIGARH: The seven-day protest by Punjab farmers under the banner of umbrella farmers’ union Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has been called off after the AAP-led Punjab Government conceded to their demands, including convening a special session of the Punjab Assembly to take up issues concerning the state’s river waters and farming.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha Punjab, which was spearheading a week-long morcha at Chandigarh-Mohali, thus called off the protest when State Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian reached the agitation stage and announced the acceptance of all the demands of farmers and handed over a signed letter to the SKM leaders.
Though a broad consensus between SKM leaders, including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Buta Singh Burjgill, Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Prem Singh Bhangu and Raminder Patiala, was reached yesterday at a meeting with Punjab Agriculture Minister Khudian, the farmer leaders were waiting for a written assurance from the state government before announcing the withdrawal of their protest near Jagatpura village.
Senior SKM leader and President of All India Kisan Federation said that the state government had agreed to their demands, including convening a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha within a month.
“As per the signed commitment, the government will convene a special session of the Assembly within one month and will pass a resolution annulling all illegal and unconstitutional agreements made and executed by the central government regarding river waters which have proved to be detrimental to the interests of Punjab and its farmers, as more than 70 percent of the river water of the state was given to other states, clearly flouting the riparian principles and the Constitution. Sections 78, 79 and 80 of the Reorganisation Act 1966 will also be scrapped by the Assembly and will be sent to the central government for repealing these sections and to determine the ownership of river waters,” he said.
The government has agreed to seek reconsideration of existing water agreements and pass a resolution against provisions of the Punjab Reorganisation Act relating to the sharing of river waters,” he said and added that it was the result of yesterday’s detailed discussion for about two hours between the government and SKM leadership.
“Morcha waited for the written and signed letter till afternoon, which was to be sent by the government in the morning, but due to some ambiguities, it was delayed and only finalised in the afternoon,” he said.
Another key demand accepted by the government relates to a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for farmers’ loans. A committee comprising representatives of cooperative banks and other stakeholders will be constituted to work out a mechanism for settling farmers’ outstanding loans. The committee will also consult political parties represented in the Assembly before submitting its report.
Bhangu said, “Further, the Seed Bill and the OTS scheme for cooperative and Land Mortgage Banks will also be discussed in the session, and a resolution will accordingly be passed. For the price of sugarcane, the government has given the written assurance that it will announce a higher price as compared to other states after following the proper procedure shortly. For other remaining demands, the government will constitute a committee by including farmers’ representatives for the immediate resolution.”
“After this announcement, the SKM leadership asked the farmers to go to their villages peacefully and get prepared for a bigger struggle against the central government in order to force it to act upon the vital resolution passed by the state Assembly so that justice is given to Punjab and its farmers, who have been fighting for this for the last many decades,” he said and added that the underground water of the state is depleting and its farmers will be finished by 2039, as per water experts, and therefore, in the absence of canal water, Punjab will become barren and its agriculture will be destroyed.