Farmers in Punjab and Haryana protested against farm bill (File)
Chandigarh:
The row over the contentious farm bills is expected to be settled through talks between farmers and the central and state governments, the Punjab and Haryana High Court said today. The tribunal declared that it was the “collective responsibility” of the two governments “to hold discussions as deep as possible and at the highest level of the respective government mechanisms with the peasant organizations which are protesting.”
The court also said the two governments must inform it of the outcome.
Earlier today, a meeting between 30 farmer groups and the central government ended in chaos due to the absence of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar or his little minister.
Shouting slogans, the farmers tore up copies of the laws outside the meeting venue in Delhi and said they would continue the agitation.
“No proper discussion took place. Neither the Union Minister of Agriculture nor the lower ministers were present to hear our concerns. We asked why the minister was not meeting with us, why the government is playing two double standards by calling us here and ministers holding virtual meetings in Punjab. There has been no proper response, “Darshan Pal, member of the coordinating committee of 29 farmers’ organizations, told PTI after the meeting.
As there was no response from Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal, who chaired the meeting, the farmers’ organizations decided to boycott the meeting, he said.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and opposition leader Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal said the fact that central ministers skipped the meeting was an “insult” to editors.
Led by Amarinder Singh, the Punjab cabinet, meanwhile, decided to officially reject agricultural laws today. A special session of the assembly will be held for this purpose on October 19, the state cabinet decided.
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana, the country’s grain bowl, loudly denounced the three agricultural sector laws, which the central government said were far-reaching reforms in the agricultural sector.
In recent months, they have blocked roads and railroads, torched vehicles and even clashed with police.
Responding to the petition calling for political gatherings involving the participation of more than 100 people to be banned, the court said if farmer protests were to continue, they will need to be mitigated so as to disturb as few people as possible.
Under the new laws, farmers are allowed to sell their produce anywhere in the country and deal directly with large companies. But the changes have alarmed farmers. They fear that the new system will put them at the mercy of companies and, over time, phase out APMC agricultural wholesale markets where they are at least assured of getting the minimum support price.
