Outcome of Farm Laws committee is preordained: Agriculture experts

NEW DELHI: While the Supreme Court has asked to set up a four-member committee to end the impasse, experts have said that the outcome of the panel is already preordained. Agriculture economist Davinder Sharma said the decision to form the panel means “going back to square one”.

“The Supreme Court has stayed the laws and set up the committee but the composition of the panel tells us that the outcome is pre-ordained. So we are back to square one,” said Sharma.  Ajay Vir Jakhar, agriculture expert and chairman of the Bharat Krishak Samaj, took to Twitter to express his disappointment. “The SC-appointed members have stated positions which pre-meditate the outcomes of the committee. Lost opportunity,” he wrote.

Before the SC’s decision, Jakhar had tweeted: “Who will finally be the members of the SC appointed committee and will the mandate of the committee include the authority to recommend repealing of the laws? SC, please don’t lose credibility by choosing the wrong members & wrong mandate.”

Farmers’ rights activist Ramandeep Singh Mann said: “The Supreme Court has formed a committee on the farm laws, which has Ashok Gulati in it. He is a known supporter. There is Bhupinder Singh Mann, this is all wrong. We don’t accept them. We will not accept them. We will return only when the laws are repealed.”