'Farm talks are bound to fail': Supreme Court proposes forming panel

Farmers say repeal laws first; agri minister hopes for early solution

The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated it may form a committee having representatives of the government and farmers to resolve the deadlock over the three new agricultural laws that have led to massive protests, saying “it may become a national issue”.

“Your (the government’s) negotiations have not worked apparently. It is bound to fail,” said a Bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde.

However, the agitating farmers rejected the proposal, saying such a panel should have been formed before the laws were framed and any new panel should be formed only after all the three laws are rep­ealed. Union Agriculture Mini­ster Narendra Singh Tomar, on the other hand, hoped for an early solution to the crisis, saying the protests are an except­ion and limited to just one state.

“We are holding discussions and talks. I believe there will be an early solution,” Tomar said at a virtual conference organised by industry body Assocham.

Meanwhile, in the SC when the Bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide the names of the farmer organisations blocking the roads, he said the government can submit the names of those it is in holding discussions with. “There are members of Bharatiya Kisan Union and other organisations that are talking to the government,” Mehta said.

He also said “now, it appears that others have taken over the farmers’ protest.”

“The difficulty (in talks) is their (farmers’) approach: you either repeal these Acts or we will not talk. They had come with placards of yes or no during the talks.  Ministers were talking with them and they wanted to discuss the issue with farmers but they (leaders of farmer organisations) turned their chairs and showed their back with these placards,” Mehta added. Taking note of the submissions, the apex court told the advocates what it tentatively proposes to do.

“We will form a committee to resolve the dispute. We will have members of the government, members from farmer organisations in it. This may soon become a national issue. We will have members from farmer organisations from the rest of India also. You propose list of names of committee members,” said the Bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

Multiple pleas have been filed in the top court seeking a direction to authorities to immediately remove the farmers, saying commuters are facing hardships due to the road blockades and the gatherings might lead to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The apex court issued notices to the Centre and others.

In the hearing conducted via video conferencing, the Bench directed the petitioners to make protesting farmer unions parties to the pleas and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions, wrote to the government, asking it to stop defaming the agitation and holding parallel talks with other farmers' organisations.