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Written by Harikishan Sharma
| New Delhi |
December 8, 2020 1:48:53 am
Narendra Singh TomarAmid protests against the new farm laws, a delegation of farmers from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Monday met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and demanded that all the three Acts should continue with the amendments suggested by farmer organisations.
“We support these (laws). They should continue by incorporation of suggestions by farm organisations,” the delegation said in a letter to Tomar.
“We are in favour of continuing the MSP (minimum support price) and (APMC) Mandi system. But we request you that these laws should continue with the suggested amendments,” says the letter signed by 20 farmers.
Pushpendra Chauhan from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh was among the members of the delegation that met Tomar.
“The Acts are good but the government failed to convey the message on the ground. The government should have held online discussions with farmers across all panchayats,” he said.
“Why is the government raising questions on the Andolan… The government should ask itself why it could not implement such a good initiative on the ground,” Chauhan said, adding, “The farm laws are in the interest of the nation, that’s why we support these laws.”
Kanwal Singh Chauhan, a farmer from Aterna village in Sonipat, was also part of the delegation. A Padma Shri awardee, he said all the three Acts are in the interest of farmers. He suggested that the government bring a new law to provide legal guarantee for MSP.
Rampal Yadav, a farmer from Rewari in Haryana and a member of the delegation, said he supports the new laws.
While there was no statement from the government about the meeting between the delegation and Tomar, sources said it took place at Krishi Bhawan for about 40 minutes.
The meeting comes at a time when farm unions are demanding repeal of the three farm laws. Five rounds of talks between the government and representatives of the farm organisations have remained inconclusive. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.