CHANDIGARH: The farmers unions have rejected the proposal of the central government which stated that the farm laws can be suspended for a period of one to two years and committee can be formed to look into the issue, thus the deadlock between the famers unions and the centre is not likely to be resolved soon.
Sources said that in the meeting most of the farmer union leaders were of the opinion that the three farm laws should be totally repealed and nothing less is acceptable to them.
"First the meeting of the 32 farmers unions of Punjab took place and then of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. The consensus which emerged was that we should stick to our stand of repealing the farm laws and nothing else is acceptable. As voting also took place in the meeting of all the forty farmer unions in which
most of them voted rejecting the proposal," said a farmer leader on condition of anonymity.
He added that in the meeting with the union government, the Bhartiya Kisan Union, Punjab (Rajewal Group) President Balbir Singh Rajewal told the union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar that in the parliament Tomar reportedly had stated that the agriculture is state subject and only after that
the government had given the gave the new proposal.
Confirming that the proposal has been rejected, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Punjab, (Ugrahan Group) President, Joginder Singh Ugrahan said, "We have unanimously rejected the proposal of the government and want that besides repealing the farm laws, we want the government should enact a legislation for remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP) and also a law that government should procure the crops."
Later the Samyukt Kisan Morcha stated that the proposal put forth by the Union Government was rejected. "A full repeal of three central farm laws and enacting a legislation for remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all farmers were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement,’’ it said.
The morcha also paid homage to the 147 farmers who have died in this movement so far. "These companions are separated from us while fighting this mass movement, their sacrifice will not go in vain and we will not go back without the repealing of these farm laws," it added.