New Delhi: Since the last 15 months farmers have been protesting on issues from the (now-scrapped) farm laws to a legal guarantee for MSP. According to the sources, farmers are on the brink of standing down. Sources said they are discussing an offer from the Centre that promises to meet almost all demands.
A meeting of farmer leaders was held on Tuesday evening at Singhu on the Delhi border. The meet, to consider the Centre’s offer, concluded without an agreement on how to proceed, and will resume at 2 pm tomorrow.
Sources have stated that the Centre was ready to give a written assurance to the farmers that their demands, which include a legal guarantee for MSP and the dropping off all police cases against them, including those on stubble burning would be met.
Should the farmers, as is widely expected, accept the center’s offer, it will mean the end of a mass movement that made headlines in India and around the world for the mobilization of tens of thousands of farmers, violent clashes with police, and furious rows in Parliament.
Sources said the Centre, as part of its offer, would form a committee to decide the MSP issue. The committee will consist of government officials, agriculture experts, and reps from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of farmer unions that has led this protest.
Sources also said the Centre had agreed to drop all police cases against farmers – this includes stubble burning complaints and those filed by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in connection with violent clashes with security forces over the past several months.
It is understood that while the farmers are happy with the Centre’s offer, there is one sticking point – the Centre wants the farmers to stand down before police cases are dropped.
The question of compensation, a point raised by Rahul Gandhi when he accused the Centre of lying, was also discussed. The farmers referred to the ₹ 5 lakh offered by Punjab, to which the Centre said UP and Haryana had, in principle, agreed to similar measures.
Last week farmers said that Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken with them and discussed outstanding issues, this was after their protests forced the recall of the farm laws.
The farmers constituted a five-member panel to hold talks – talks that were to include their demand to legalize MSP and withdraw police cases against the protesters.
The Centre was given a ‘deadline’, which expired today. “… if a compromise is found, then there is a possibility of farmers going back,” Yudhvir Singh, a union leader told to media.
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