NEW DELHI: As the Narendra Modi government faces protests against the new farm laws for the third consecutive week, the farmers are getting polarised into two groups - those in favour and those against the new agri-laws.
While 32 farmers’ unions from different states have been camping at Delhi's Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border points to demand repeal of the farm laws enacted in September, at least 10 farmers’ unions have met Union ministers to extend their support to the same laws.
Some of the political parties have also veered between the two camps - pro- and anti-government. While parties such as the Congress, NCP, SAD and AAP have taken an anti-government stance, others such as Deve Gowda’s JD(S) have extended support to the BJP-led NDA government over the issue.
The government got a fillip when farmers’ leader Sharad Joshi’s All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC) backed the centre over the farm laws. AIKCC’s delegation met agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday.
However, AIKCC’s support came with a caveat - the AIKCC representatives told Tomar that the farm laws be made "optional for states to accept or reject" as a compromise to resolve the ongoing stalemate.
The memorandum submitted by AIKCC to Tomar included points such as permitting genetically modified (GM) technology in the farm sector to make it globally competitive and scrapping of Essential Commodities Act (ECA) - one of the three laws that the government modified through amendment in September.
AIKCC has its own standing in the agricultural sector. It has a national presence with several farmers’ unions affiliated to it. It comprises more than 7,000 NGOs in the farm sector and has strong presence in several states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Punjab and Haryana.
Besides AIKCC, farmers’ unions from Uttarakhand and Haryana have also backed the three farm laws.
Further, a delegation of Haryana BJP MPs and MLAs met agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday and supported the three new farm laws.
Union minister of state for water resources Ratanlal Kataria, Lok Sabha MPs Dharamveer Singh and Nayab Singh Saini and Rajya Sabha MP DP Vats and some MLAs were present in the meeting. After the meeting, Rohtak BJP MP Arvind Sharma said the state MPs and MLAs came to thank the central government for agreeing to amend certain provisions of the farm laws.
A delegation of BJP leaders from Chandigarh called on Rajnath Singh to deliberate upon the issue. The delegation comprised Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma and Union minister Som Prakash along with state party leaders including Surjit Jyani and Harjeet Grewal. The Punjab leaders are believed to have discussed the ongoing agitation of farmers, mostly from Punjab, against the farm laws and also apprised Singh about the ground situation in the state.
The protesting farmers at Delhi border points have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
On the other hand, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.