A farmer lights a bidi, or hand-rolled tobacco, as he sits inside a tent with a fellow farmer, blocking a major highway in protest against new farm laws at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, Friday. (AP)Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: Hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the new farm laws as well as the ones related to the ongoing agitation at Delhi borders, the Supreme Court Monday said it was disappointed with the way negotiations between the government and the farmers have progressed and said it will pass an order on the matter tomorrow.
The apex court asked the Centre to stay the laws till a committee constituted by it discusses the same and submits a report. “Let those farmer unions who say it is progressive say that before the committee. But you have to tell us whether you stay the farm acts or we do it. Keep it in abeyance. What is the issue?? We are not in favour of easily staying a law but we want to say don’t implement the law,” the top court said.
The bench comprising of CJI Bobde Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian further said, “Some people have committed suicide, old people and women are a part of the agitation. What is happening?” The bench added that not a single plea has been filed that said that the “farm laws are good.”
The apex court has suggested names of former CJIs including RM Lodha to head panel for exploring the possibility of a solution over farm laws protests. The bench said it will pass orders on the issue in parts.
Talks between the Centre and farmer unions on the new agriculture laws failed to make any headway even after the eighth round of talks. The Centre and the farmer leaders are scheduled to hold their next meeting on January 15.
Police look on as protesting farmers vandalise the stage at the kisan mahapanchayat in Karnal. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)
Congress MPs Partap Singh Bajwa and Chhaya Verma and former Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Monday staged a walkout from a meeting of the Standing Committee on Agriculture after the panel chairman refused to discuss Centre's three farm laws and their aftermath, sources said.
Citing the large-scale protests undertaken by various farmer unions that have seen thousands of farmers protest at the borders of Delhi for over 40 days, the three Rajya Sabha MPs raised the issue with the chairman of the standing committee. Due to the refusal of the chairman to allow the situation to be discussed by the committee, the three MPs decided to walk out of the meeting in protest, the sources said.
The panel is chaired by BJP MP P C Gaddigoudar.
The meeting held at the Parliament annexe building was to take note of the evidence of the representatives of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying) in connection with the examination of the Subject "Status of Veterinary Services and Availability of Animal Vaccine in the Country".
The Supreme Court stated Monday that it will pronounce its order on the protesting farmers as well as the controversial farm laws tomorrow, news agency PTI reported.
The Haryana Police Monday booked BKU (Charuni) leader Gurnam Singh Charuni and dozens of other protesters for rioting and damaging public property, a day after vandalism at the venue of a farmers' event which was to be addressed by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. According to a police official in Karnal, where the ?Kisan mahapanchayat' was to be held, a case has been registered against 71 people by name, including Gurnam Singh Charuni, while 800-900 unnamed people have also been booked.
They have been booked for rioting, assault on public servant, damaging public property, criminal conspiracy and other charges, police said. The police said they are collecting evidence including video clips in connection with the incident and would take action against those who are found involved in it.
However, nobody has been arrested yet, the police official said. (PTI)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said the "indifferent" attitude adopted by the BJP government towards farmers is a "direct insult" to them.
"The way the BJP government adopted an indifferent attitude towards farmers by being insensitive to them is a direct insult to 'annadata' (farmers). This is extremely condemnable," Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.
If they can spot smoke elsewhere, why cannot they see the fire at their own home, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
After the venue of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s programme in Karnal district was vandalised on Sunday, the state BJP’s protest in Jalandhar too faced opposition from farmers who reached the venue but were stopped by the police.
The BJP completed its protest in Company Bagh under heavy police protection. The party was protesting against the four years’ failure of the Punjab government. The police had deployed a vehicle of water cannons and tippers carrying sandbags to stop the advance of the farmers. The entire area was cordoned off and barricades were put up all around 50 to 100 metres from the protest site. DCP Gurmit singh supervised all security arrangements.
Both the BJP and the farmers had announced their respective programmes beforehand, with farmers saying they would oppose the BJP leaders for passing three farm laws. READ MORE
Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait has said the central government should abandon its "stubborn" attitude and resolve the issues of farmers through dialogue.
Speaking to reporters at the BKU headquarters at Sisoli near here on Sunday evening, he said farmers are aware that the three new agri laws have been brought by the Centre "to benefit big corporates" and are "against peasants".
He also accused the government of maintaining a stubborn attitude while farmers have long been protesting on roads.
While the Centre has been claiming that making Minimum Support Price (MSP) legal for all crops will put a burden of Rs 17 lakh crore on the government exchequer annually, there are economists and experts who are not buying this argument.
The MSP of 23 crops is determined by the Commission for Agriculture Cost and Price (CACP) every year, but only a few crops including wheat and paddy are procured on MSP and the rest are purchased by private players.
Along with cancellation of the three farm laws, making MSP legal for all crops is another major demand of the farmers protesting at the Delhi border. READ MORE
The Supreme Court Monday pulled up the Centre for its handling of the farmers protest against the new farm laws saying it is “extremely disappointed” with the way negotiations between them were going and it will constitute a committee headed by a former Chief Justice of India to resolve the impasse.
Indicating amply that it may go to the extent of staying the implementation of the contentious farm laws, the apex court refused to grant extra time to the Centre to explore the possibility of amicable solution saying it has already granted the government a “long rope”.
“We have given you long rope, Mr Attorney General, please don''t lecture us on patience,” a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that the top court has made “harsh observations” regarding handling of the situation by the government.
“That was the most innocuous factual thing for us to say,” the bench said. The apex court, which said it will pass orders on the issue concerning farm laws and farmers'' protest in part in the matter, asked the parties to suggest two-three names of former CJIs including former CJI R M Lodha who can head the apex court-appointed panel.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Monday reiterated the demand for withdrawal of new farm laws enacted by the Centre, claiming that the laws were a "threat" to the future of farmers.
The Congress leader made the remarks while interacting with farmers in his constituency Tonk.
"This is a matter related to the future of farmers. All farmer unions and opposition parties are united and demanding withdrawal of the laws. It is not clear what the government's compulsions to bring these laws were. The laws should be withdrawn," he told reporters.
"We are making the farmers aware of the disadvantages of the laws. The farmers are agitating peacefully and the government should accept their demands," Pilot said. (PTI)
SC suggests names of former CJIs including RM Lodha to head panel for exploring possibility of solution over farm laws protests.
"We have given you enough long rope Mr Attorney General, please don't lecture us on patience," says the top court after AG K K Venugopal seeks time.
The bench says it will pass orders on the issue concerning farmers protests and implementation of new farm laws in parts
The hearing on the farm laws issue is over for today. The Supreme Court has said it will pass orders today or tomorrow.
The Attorney General says thousands of farmers already entered into contracts with traders under new law and staying would cost them heavily. Adds Comm will yield no result if farmers demand complete withdrawal. Says they should give clause by clause suggestions.
The Supreme Court says, 'We are proposing to pass an order to facilitate the solution to farm laws problem through a Committee to be appointed by us.'
'Let me take a risk and say Chief Justice of India wants them (protesting farmers) to go back to their homes,' says CJI SA Bobde.
Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for one of the farmers' unions, suggests that the matter be adjourned for tomorrow; requests the court to consider it.
CJI Bobde says, "You (Centre) have not handled this properly, we will have to take some action today." "How can such important laws be passed through voice vote in Parliament, says senior advocate Dushyant Dave appearing for one of the farmers' unions. If the Centre is serious, then it can hold a joint session of Parliament. Why is the govt shying away from it, he adds.
Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave appearing for one of the farmers' unions, says: "We should be allowed to go to the Ramlila Maidan. We are not interested in any violence."
"What happened with Haryana CM cannot happen. On January 26, farmers with their tractors are planning to march down to Rajpath to destroy a day of national importance, says AG KK Venugopal before SC during hearing on petitions challenging constitutional validity of farm laws.
Attorney General K K Venugopal opposed SC’s suggestion to stay the laws, saying that there are precedents that courts cannot stay legislation. “A law can only be stayed if it’s passed without legislative competence, violates fundamental rights or violates provisions of Constitution.”
The bench, which also comprised of Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, further said that it was concerned if the farmers were getting food and water during their protest at Delhi borders. “People are committing suicides. People are suffering in cold. Who is taking care of water and food?? Old people and women are in the ground. Why are old people in the farmer protests? We don’t want to comment on the agitation,” the bench said. “Whether you have faith or not, we are the Supreme Court of India, we will do our job,” it further told the farm unions.
The bench led by Chief Justice S A Bobde slammed the Centre by asking if the government was a “part of the solution or the problem.” “We are sorry to say that the Centre has not been able to solve the problem and the farmers’ agitation. We don’t want to make any stray observations on your negotiations but we are extremely disappointed with the process. What is going on? States are rebelling against your laws.”