SKM asks Prime Minister Modi to restart talks on controversial farm laws

But the grouping of over 30 farmers' organisations sticks to its core demand for repealing acts, legalising MSP

The protesting farmers today sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restart the stalled dialogue process, but reiterated their demand for the repeal of the three farm acts along with a legislation on guaranteeing the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the grouping of over 30 farmers’ organisations from Punjab and other parts of the country said that any democratic government would have repealed the three laws that have been rejected by the farmers in whose name they have been enacted and seized the opportunity to provide legal guarantee of MSP for all farmers.

“As the head of the government of the World’s largest democracy in the world, the onus of resuming a serious and sincere dialogue with the farmer lies with you,” the SKM letter stated.

It said that SKM will be constrained to further intensify the struggle if the government does not heed its demands even as the movement is about to complete six months.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, UP and some other states have been camping along the Delhi borders since the last six months against the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

So far, more than 10 rounds of talks have been held between the protesting farmers and the Government but to no avail. The last round of discussions was held in January and since then the talks have been stalled as both sides hardened their stand.