Farmers’ protest: Govt agrees to withdraw cases, unions seek clarification on three issues | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Heeding to the most pressing issues of protesting farmers, the Center on Tuesday formally reached out to the farm unions with a draft proposal on addressing five out of their six demands, including withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during protests in various states and UTs of Delhi and Chandigarh, provided they end their agitation. The Unions, however, insisted that the government must first initiate the process of withdrawal of cases, and said they would take a call on the ongoing protests only after getting a clarification on this and certain other points on Wednesday.
“We are apprehensive about the proposal of withdrawal of cases as we had several instances in the past, including the Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) incident of 2017, where cases have still not been withdrawn despite promises. We, therefore, want the government to immediately begin the process of withdrawal of cases and complete it in a time-bound manner,” said Ashok Dhawale, leader of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).
Appealing farmers to end their protests, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) wrote to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM)- joint platform of protesting farmer unions- and gave a five-point proposal which includes setting up a committee on minimum support price (MSP) issue with representations from the SKM and other organizations, withdrawal of cases with a condition to first end the agitation, and in-principle agreement within state governments about compensating kin of the farmers who died during the year-long protest. The ministry elaborated that the withdrawal of cases would also pertain to those registered in the UTs (Delhi and Chandigarh) and by the central agencies such as Railways.
On other two demands, the ministry assured the farmer unions that the government would not introduce the Electricity (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament without consulting all stakeholders. Besides, it said, the government had already decriminalized the stubble burning provisions (Section 14 and 15) in the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) law, and therefore there was no logic behind continuing the agitation.
The ministry’s note to the SKM, however, remained silent on the unions’ sixth demand about the arrest and dismissal of Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. “We will discuss this and other issues including our clarification from the government on three key points on the draft proposal in the meeting on Wednesday,” said SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal.
The three points on which the farmer unions sought clarifications from the government include beginning the process of withdrawal of cases in a time-bound manner, composition and terms of reference of the proposed Committee on MSP, and the quantum of compensation as these issues, farmer leaders said, were not clear in the MHA’s missive to the SKM.
Elaborating on the clarifications which the farmer unions sought from the government, Dhawale, one of the five members of the committee which the SKM formed for talks with the government, said, “The MSP committee proposed by the government may include even those farmer organizations that supported the farm laws. This is not acceptable to us. We want clarification from the government on this issue as well as the terms of reference of the proposed panel.”
Similarly, he said, the SKM would also like the state governments to follow Punjab’s model of compensating kin of farmers who died in the protests which include giving financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each and government job to one of the family members of the deceased.
“Apart from cases on farmers which include 48,000 cases in Haryana alone, the SKM has also raised concerns regarding NIA notices, cases against journalists, ‘Arthiyas’ and NRIs who have been supporting farmers. We want clarification from the government on all these points as the current proposal is not clear. We hope to get the government’s response and then only we will decide our next course of action,” said SKM leaders, Gurnam Singh Charuni and Yudhvir Singh.
Though the MHA letter has not spelt out the modalities of withdrawal of cases and the quantum of the compensation, it said the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments have given their consent for compensation in principle while the Punjab government has publicly announced its decision.
“As far as cases against farmers during the agitation are concerned, both UP and Haryana governments have agreed to immediately withdraw the cases once the agitation is ended,” said the ministry’s draft proposal.
“We are apprehensive about the proposal of withdrawal of cases as we had several instances in the past, including the Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) incident of 2017, where cases have still not been withdrawn despite promises. We, therefore, want the government to immediately begin the process of withdrawal of cases and complete it in a time-bound manner,” said Ashok Dhawale, leader of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).
Appealing farmers to end their protests, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) wrote to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM)- joint platform of protesting farmer unions- and gave a five-point proposal which includes setting up a committee on minimum support price (MSP) issue with representations from the SKM and other organizations, withdrawal of cases with a condition to first end the agitation, and in-principle agreement within state governments about compensating kin of the farmers who died during the year-long protest. The ministry elaborated that the withdrawal of cases would also pertain to those registered in the UTs (Delhi and Chandigarh) and by the central agencies such as Railways.
On other two demands, the ministry assured the farmer unions that the government would not introduce the Electricity (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament without consulting all stakeholders. Besides, it said, the government had already decriminalized the stubble burning provisions (Section 14 and 15) in the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) law, and therefore there was no logic behind continuing the agitation.
The ministry’s note to the SKM, however, remained silent on the unions’ sixth demand about the arrest and dismissal of Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. “We will discuss this and other issues including our clarification from the government on three key points on the draft proposal in the meeting on Wednesday,” said SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal.
The three points on which the farmer unions sought clarifications from the government include beginning the process of withdrawal of cases in a time-bound manner, composition and terms of reference of the proposed Committee on MSP, and the quantum of compensation as these issues, farmer leaders said, were not clear in the MHA’s missive to the SKM.
Elaborating on the clarifications which the farmer unions sought from the government, Dhawale, one of the five members of the committee which the SKM formed for talks with the government, said, “The MSP committee proposed by the government may include even those farmer organizations that supported the farm laws. This is not acceptable to us. We want clarification from the government on this issue as well as the terms of reference of the proposed panel.”
Similarly, he said, the SKM would also like the state governments to follow Punjab’s model of compensating kin of farmers who died in the protests which include giving financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each and government job to one of the family members of the deceased.
“Apart from cases on farmers which include 48,000 cases in Haryana alone, the SKM has also raised concerns regarding NIA notices, cases against journalists, ‘Arthiyas’ and NRIs who have been supporting farmers. We want clarification from the government on all these points as the current proposal is not clear. We hope to get the government’s response and then only we will decide our next course of action,” said SKM leaders, Gurnam Singh Charuni and Yudhvir Singh.
Though the MHA letter has not spelt out the modalities of withdrawal of cases and the quantum of the compensation, it said the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments have given their consent for compensation in principle while the Punjab government has publicly announced its decision.
“As far as cases against farmers during the agitation are concerned, both UP and Haryana governments have agreed to immediately withdraw the cases once the agitation is ended,” said the ministry’s draft proposal.
