The farmers agitation against the three new farm laws was peaceful in the initial stages. In a democracy peaceful agitation is lawful. Now it has turned into mobocracy. The Republic Day violence and unprecedented scenes at the Red Fort witnessed ugly clashes at several points between protesters, who violated the charted routes. An Uttarakhand farmer was killed and at least 45 policemen injured.
The police had given permission for the tractor parade on Republic Day and marked out specific routes for the protesters and they had agreed that the tractor parade will commence only after the formal Republic Day celebrations end. However, a group of protesters started rolling their tractors into the city. The heavily outnumbered police were helpless at many flash-points where armed protesters chased them with swords and lathis. The Nihangs in their battle-gear were carrying swords while marching into the city. A farmer was killed in the clashes.
As far as negotiations with the government are concerned, the agenda of the farmers is to focus the discussions only on ways in which the new laws can be scrapped. The government has, however, refused to roll back the pro-reform laws farmers say will hurt their livelihoods. It has instead offered to hold the implementation of the three contentious laws for 18 months. The government has asked the farmers to reconsider the offer which Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said is the "best offer". Experts say that the farm laws will benefit the farmers, but the farmers are not willing to listen to that argument.
Out of the three central laws, the primary area of concern for farmers is the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, or FPTC Act in short. The law allows buying and selling of farm produce outside the APMC mandis without any tax. The government, on its part, says that this act will give more freedom to farmers to choose who to sell their produce to. It has termed the three laws historic saying they will change the way agriculture trade is done. A related issue is that of the Minimum Support Price or MSP - the price at which the government purchases farm produce directly from the farmers. The farmers say that once they stop selling in APMCs, the big corporate houses may not honour the MSP. So, they want the government to make MSP a legal right.
The government, meanwhile, says that it is not right to include in the agenda the demand related to MSP as it is out of the purview of the new farm laws. It highlighted the plight of the small and marginal farmers and said they will benefit from the new reforms in the agriculture sector. The opposition parties also know that the farm laws will benefit the farmers but they are not willing to supporting the government because of the politics.
Govt still willing to talk to farmers: Min
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Centre is still willing to talk to the farmers. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Parliament that the government is willing to discuss the three acts clause- by- clause. “We are regularly in touch with the protesting farmers. The Government of India is ready to discuss the acts clause- by-clause,” Tomar said.
When asked specifically if the centre is still willing to talk to the agitating farmers, who have been on borders of Delhi for nearly three months, the minister replied in affirmative. He, however, did not comment on when the talks are likely to resume between the two sides.
Tomar also informed the media that the budget for the next fiscal has proposed a number of schemes for the welfare of the farming community of the country.
After the 10th round of talks in January end in which the centre proposed to keep the new agri laws in abeyance for 1.5 years, which was not accepted by the agitating farmers, no further talks have taken place between the two sides.
