New Delhi: Even though the protesting farmers vowed to continue their agitation until the newly enacted farm laws are completely repealed, they on Thursday agreed to meet the Central government on Friday for ninth time for talks on the farm laws. On the other side, supporting the peasants, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann recused himself from the four-member committee of the Supreme Court.
The protesters said they don’t have much hope as they will not settle for anything less than the repeal of the contentious farm laws. Since a Supreme Court-appointed panel on farm laws is likely to hold its first meeting on January 19, the meeting on Friday between with the government and the unions may be the last one.
While the previous eight rounds of negotiations have failed to end the protests continuing for several weeks on various borders of the national capital, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said earlier in the day that the government is hopeful of positive discussions at Friday’s scheduled meeting.
Bhupinder Mann out of SC panel
Earlier in the day, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann said he is recusing himself from the four-member committee.
Mann’s announcement came on a day when his organisation’s Punjab unit decided to disassociate itself from him. Mann said he is thankful to the apex court for nominating him to the panel but would give up any position to prevent farmers’ interests from being compromised.
Mann, 81, is also the chairman of the All-India Kisan Coordination Committee. He remained a Rajya Sabha MP from 1990-96. He had supported the Congress in 2012 and 2017 Punjab assembly polls.
SC panel meet from Jan 19
In another development, the Supreme Court-appointed panel on farm laws is likely to hold its first meeting on January 19 at Pusa campus in Delhi, one of its members Anil Ghanwat said on Thursday and asserted the committee will have no “ego or prestige issue” if it has to go to farmers’ protest sites to talk to them.
The panel members were scheduled to have a virtual interaction earlier in the day to discuss its future course of action, but it could not take place after ex-MP and farmer leader Bhupinder Singh Mann recused himself from the committee.
Peaceful agitation so far
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points, demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price for their crops.
‘Don’t believe in rumours’
Writing an open letter to all farmers, BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on Thursday urged them to not believe in rumours being spread to defame their agitation against the Centre’s farm laws. The BKU (Rajewal) president said rumours are being spread about the farmers’ proposed tractor parade on January 26.
(With inputs from PTI)