Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Farmer unions have agreed for a meeting with the government on December 29 at 11 am. However, the meeting will be on the agenda decided by the unions.
The four demands include repeal of the three laws and a separate law on MSP. The other two demands are related to the electricity law and to law related to burning of paddy stubble.
This will be the sixth meeting between farmer unions and ministers. The earlier meetings had failed to break the deadlock.
Though farmer unions have again set conditions, including repeal of three laws, for the talks, government sources say there is no going back on three Acts, something that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also made it clear in his last address to farmers yesterday.
Making clear stance on “Left leaning” leaders in the agitation, they are also accusing them of “misleading farmers and creating hurdles between the government and genuine farmers and their leaders”.
Meanwhile, farmer unions said on December 30 all tractors will march from one border to the other.
They added that if the issue is not resolved till January 1, they will make a “big announcement”.
Speaking from Singhu border, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said “as you know a letter diplomacy is going on because the aim of the government is to lob the ball in our court”.
Yadav said the last two letters by Joint Secretary Vivek Aggarwal have half truths and same ‘chalakis’.
Yadav said farmers have made the agenda because farmers keep asking us what we want.
“We are always ready to talk with an open mind,” he said.
According to Darshan Pal, they have given a general call for agitation and protest across the country, including ban on Ambani-Adani products.
The toll plazas will also remain free and on December 27 and 28, the martyrdom day of Sahibzade of Guru Gobind Singh will be observed at all the five borders.
Full text of the letter by farmers’ union:
To: Date: 26th Dec. 2020
Shri Vivek Aggarwal,
Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare,
Government of India.
Subject: Re Ongoing negotiations between farmers’ organisations and Govt of India to repeal the three Central Farm Acts
Dear Shri Aggarwal,
This is in response to your letter (09/2020) dated 24th December 2020.
Unfortunately, your letter continues the governments’ attempt to mislead the public by suppressing true facts about the deliberations in the previous meetings. We have consistently demanded the repeal of the three Central Farm Acts, whereas the government has distorted our position as if we were asking for amendments to these Acts. If you are sincere about respectfully listening to the farmers, as you say in your letter, the government must not indulge in misinformation about the previous meetings. The campaign launched by the entire state machinery to defame and malign the farmers’ movement must stop forthwith.
Be as it may, since you are willing to hold a meeting on date, time and issues of our choosing, we make the following proposal on behalf of Samyukt Kisan Morch after due consultation with all organisations. We propose that the next meeting between the farmers’ representatives and the Government of India be held on 29th December 2020 at 11am, with the following agenda, as per the sequence mentioned below:
- Modalities to be adopted for the repeal of the three Central Farm Acts;
- Mechanisms to be adopted to make remunerative MSP recommended by the National Farmers’ Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities;
- Amendments to be made and notified in the “Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020” to exclude farmers from the penal provisions of the Ordinance;
- Changes to be made in the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 to protect the interests of farmers.
This is to reiterate that farmers’ organisations are and have always been open to a sincere dialogue.
Sincerely,
(Leaders of 40 farmers organisations)
For
Samyukt Kisan Morcha
