Farm laws: 29 farm unions to hold talks with Centre today

Punjab’s protesting farmers Tuesday agreed to meet Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal for talks in Delhi Wednesday. Agarwal had Monday extended an invitation to members of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a conglomerate of 30 farmers’ bodies that have been agitating against the Narendra Modi government’s three new farm laws that were passed by Parliament last month.

Chandigarh: Farmer unions in Punjab protesting against the three new farm laws will hold talks with the Centre on Wednesday.

The farmers from 29 unions agreed to meet Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal as he extended an invitation to members of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) on Monday.

The leaders included in the panel are Balbir Singh Rajewal, Darshan Pal, Jagjit Singh Dalewal, Jagmohan Singh, Kulwant Singh, Surjit Singh and Satnam Singh Sahni.

“We are going because if we continue to reject the invitation, then they will say we are not ready for any talks. We do not want to give them any excuse. We will go there,” a farmers' leader said.

Earlier on Monday, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, a farmers' body in Punjab, decided not to attend the meeting called by the Union Agriculture Department on October 14.

The farmers' organisations, whose agitation against the laws has disrupted rail traffic and severely impacted coal supply to thermal power plants in Punjab, had last week rejected the Centre's invitation to participate in a "conference to address their concerns" on October 8.

BKU (Dakaunda) president Buta Singh Burjgill said their statewide agitation, including the "rail roko" stir, will continue.

“We will decide the future course of action at a meeting scheduled to be held on October 15,” said Burjgill.

Earlier, the State government had appealed to farmers to ease their "rail roko" agitation, saying it needed to urgently transport foodgrain, coal, fertilisers and petroleum on priority.

Farmers had given an ultimatum to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to convene a special session of the Punjab legislative assembly to pass a resolution to reject the farm-related laws.

They had threatened to gherao Congress leaders and government representatives if the demand was not met.

Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, who met farmers' representatives here, said the State cabinet will decide about the special assembly session on Wednesday.

Farmers in Punjab have been demanding that the three laws passed by Parliament recently be repealed.

Besides blocking rail tracks, farmers have laid siege to fuel pumps and shopping malls. They staged sit-ins outside the residences of several BJP leaders.

Farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws will pave a way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.

The government, however, has been saying that the laws passed by Parliament recently amid a vociferous protest will raise farmers' income, freeing them from the clutches of the middlemen and usher in new technology in farming.

(With inputs from PTI)