"Abhi Supreme Court dekh rahi hai. Supreme Court ke jo nirdesh honge unaka paalan kiya jaega. The Supreme Court is currently looking into the issue. The Supreme Court's directives will be followed." Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said to reporters earlier this week, when asked if he would invite protesting farmers who have been sitting in at Shambhu, and Khanauri, on the Punjab-Haryana border, since February last.
Chouhan's cautious response to questions about the ongoing farmers' protests led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha indicates that the has changed its approach to dealing with farm stirrings. In contrast to its proactive engagement with agitating farm-unions during its previous term the NarendraModi NDA government 3.0 appears to be keeping a distance from the issue.
In the Modi 2.0 government, when farmers protested against the three central farm legislations (now repealed), a team of three union ministers consisting of then Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh tomar, Food Ministry Piyush goyal , and Minister of State of Commerce Somprakash held 11 rounds with their respective unions between October 14, 2020 and January 22, 2021. Even the Union Home Minister Amit shah rushed to the Pusa Complex in Delhi on one occasion to meet with farmer leaders at night. This was between October 14, 2020 and January 22, 2021.
Three Union Ministers -- Goyal, then Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, and MoS for Interior Affairs Nityanand Ra flew to Chandigarh in early February of last year to hold two rounds with the agitating Farm Unions.
The Centre has not engaged with protesting farmers since then despite their standoff. They have demanded legal status for Minimum Support Price and MSP of crops, as well as a waiver of farm debt.
Chouhan, for his part, has invited farmers to a meeting each Tuesday and met with some farmer groups. He also met with state Agriculture Ministers including Punjab Minister Gurmeet Sing Khudian to discuss the state of agriculture. He has yet to meet with the farmers who are agitating.
The government appears to think that the move by then Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal to invite 29 protesting farm-unions to Delhi for the first round meeting with them on Krishi Bhawan, October 14, 2020 has fueled their protests rather than resolved the row. The meeting was a disaster as the farmers' leaders demanded the presence of Agriculture minister Tomar. The farmers ripped up copies of the three Bills and shouted slogans in front of Krishi Bhawan. The farmers' march to Delhi began on November 26, 2021. The government and the farmer unions held 10 additional rounds of discussions until January 22, 2020. These meetings were ineffective as the farmers refused to budge, and they continued their blockade at Delhi's borders.
The Supreme Court issued an order on January 12, 2021 to halt the implementation of farm laws. It also created a four member committee that would deliberate the three farm legislations. Bhupinder Mann, national President of Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee and a member of the committee, recused himself. The other three members - Dr Parmod Kumar Joshuai, Director of South Asia at the International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati - former Chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices - and Anil Ghanwat – president of Shetkari Sanghatana – deliberated and presented a report to
In an address to the country, Modi announced that three farm laws would be repealed on the occasion Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti, which will take place on 19 November 2021.
Since February 13, 2024, the SKM (nonpolitical) & KMM are camping at Shambhu & Khanauri border after Haryana Police halted their "Dilli chalo" march and blocked their entry to the state on their way to the National Capital.
The Centre could have changed its approach to the farm agitation due to a variety of factors. The current farm agitation is confined to the Punjab-Haryana boundary, and its geographic spread is not as large as the movement for 2020-21. The SKM, an umbrella organization of farm unions in Punjab and other states, has not joined the current protest despite its support. Thirdly, the current demonstration has multiple demands, including those that were made earlier. The 2020-21 movement, however, was directed at the three farm laws of the Centre.
Farmers have also remained steadfast. The farmers had not nominated any members to the committee that was announced by the PM to investigate various farm issues on November 19, 2021. On July 18, 2022 the Centre created a panel headed by former Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal to examine several topics, including making the MSP "effective and transparent".
Jagjit Singh Dalewal, the president of BKU Sidhupur in July 2022, split from the SKM to form the SKM(non-political). Dallewal is on a death-by-fast at Khanauri, since November 26, to insist that the Centre accepts the farmers' demands. The apex Court expressed concern about Dallewal’s health after hearing various petitions. Dallewal entered his 40th day of hunger strike on Saturday.
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