Supreme Court has no role in resolving 'political deadlock' over new laws: Farmers' union

NEW DELHI: The government should resolve the "political deadlock" over new farm laws without the involvement of the Supreme Court, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said on Sunday and warned that the protesting farmers "will soon close down all borders" of Delhi if their demand for repeal of the legislations is not met.

A day before the apex court hears a clutch of pleas challenging the new farm laws as well as the ones raising issues related to the ongoing agitation, the outfit said the Supreme Court "does not and cannot have any role in resolving a political deadlock" over the legislations enacted by the government "under pressure from corporates".

It said there is "no role for the Supreme Court" and the matter "should be left to political leadership". It also accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "shirking political responsibility" of resolving the crisis.

The AIKSCC alleged that the government is using the Supreme Court "as political shield". "Farmers continue to surround Delhi from all sides and will soon close down all borders. They are here to tell the BJP-led government and the Parliament that it has passed wrong laws," the outfit said in a statement.

It said the farm laws will uproot farmers, change farming pattern, decrease food security and "will lead to more suicides and hunger deaths and will destroy water, forest and ecological balance". Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, are staying put at various border points of Delhi since late November last year to protest against the laws.

The eighth round of talks between the Centre and the farmer unions on January 7 appeared heading nowhere as the Centre ruled out repealing the contentious laws while the farmer leaders said they are ready to fight till death and their 'ghar waapsi' will happen only after 'law waapsi'.

The Monday hearing in the Supreme Court assumes significance as the Centre and the farmer leaders are scheduled to hold their next meeting on January 15. Enacted in September, the three laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.