Farmers Unions will meet today at Singhu border to discuss the Centre’s offer to not implement the three farm laws for a year. The Centre during the tenth round of the meeting with the farmers representative at Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday proposed to keep the agriculture laws on hold for 18 months and resolve the issues related to the laws through the formed farm law committee by the Supreme Court.
The farmers’ leaders have termed the Centre’s proposal to be worth considering and decided that representatives of all the farmer organisations will hold consultations and then convey the government about their stand on the offer.
The 10th round of talks between the farmers’ unions and the Centre could not yield any result. The next meeting has been scheduled for January 22.
Farmer leader Shivkumar Kakka, who has been a part of all the 10 meetings held with the government, said, "We do not trust the committee, but the government has offered to put the laws on hold. It is a matter to consider. We will discuss this and eventually try to form an opinion.”
Another farmer leader, Darshan Pal Singh, who attended the meeting with the government on Wednesday, said, "The Central government told us that it would submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court to put the laws on hold. Implementation of laws would be put on hold till the issues are resolved This proposal of the government is worth considering."
All India Kisan Sabha General Secretary Hanan Mullah after yesterday’s meeting said that the government has told them they can pause the implementation of the laws for a year and a half by filing an affidavit in the top court. Meanwhile, we will go by the report that would be provided by the panel.
“Now all the farmers’ associations will discuss the government's proposal on January 21 and reply to the government on January 22. Also, the attitude of farmer leaders has always been positive, he added.
The Supreme Court has already put a stay on the farm laws until further orders. The four-member panel formed the court for negotiating talks between the farmers and the Centre to break the deadlock.
The committee has been asked to give its report in two months.
The committee, which had its first meeting on Tuesday, will begin its consultations with various stakeholders and farmers on Thursday to get their views on the laws and their issues.