After phone call from Amit Shah, farmers form panel for talks

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Saturday, December 5, 2021, formed a five-member committee to hold talks with the government on the six issues they have raised, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price, the morcha said after a long meeting at the Singhu border. 

The farmers said they would continue their protest in the meantime and depending on the progress of the talks, they would decide their next course of action, including ending the protests, at a meeting on December 7. 

The five-member committee comprises Ashok Dhawale, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Shiv Kumar Kakkaji and Yudhvir Singh. It does not include BKU leader Rakesh Tikait.

The setting up of the committee follows a phone call the farmers received from home minister Amit Shah late evening on Friday to “sort” out all pending issue. Farm leader Yudhavir Singh, who got the call, said: “He said the laws have been rolled back and the government is serious about finding a solution to the ongoing stir. The home minister wanted a committee to talk with the government.” 

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 21, two days after the PM’s address to the nation to announce the repeal of the three farm laws, the farmers raised six issues. They are a law on MSP, dropping the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, no penal action for stubble burning, dropping of cases registered against farmers, compensation to those who died in the protests and the sacking of union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra.

“Farm unions have had a bitter experience in the past. We got only oral assurances. So,  we will not end the agitation without formal responses on each of the issues being raised by us. We want to see all the cases against farmers and our supporters to be withdrawn,” an SKM leader said.