Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday morning said that the farmers’ agitation is not going anywhere and they would continue to press for their demands as they have been for a year now, despite the Centre agreeing to repeal the three contentious farm laws.
Among the outstanding demands of the farmers is a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP), removal of penal provisions against farmers in the ‘Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, essentially to decriminalise stubble burning.
Also, the withdrawal of cases against farmers and building a memorial for the protesters who lost their lives during the agitation against the three contentious Central farm laws is a part of the farmers’ list of demands.
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday had said that a committee to make the minimum support price (MSP) system more transparent and effective. “With the constitution of this committee, the farmers’ demand on MSP stands fulfilled. This committee will have representatives from farmers’ organisations,” he had said, urging the agitating farmers to “go home”.
On November 19, PM Modi announced the repealation of Farm laws that a section of farmers have been protesting against since 2020. While welcoming the move, the farmers have reiterated that they have six demands that are yet to be fulfilled by the government. The most important of these is the demand for a legal guarantee of MSP.
The demands includes withdrawal of the draft Electricity Amendments Bill, 2020/2021, withdrawal of criminal cases against farmers and removal of provisions in the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act 2021 that allow the possibility of penal action against farmers for stubble burning.
