The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers’ unions protesting against the three contentious farm laws, said on Sunday that their agitation will continue as planned, reported ANI.
The Morcha held a meeting at Delhi’s Singhu border on Sunday morning to discuss the future course of its actions in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that the three laws will be repealed.
The farmers’ body reiterated its demands that the government should introduce a law to guarantee minimum support price for crops and withdraw cases lodged against protestors during the agitation against the farm laws.
“Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s pre-decided programs will continue as it is – Kisan panchayat [farmers’ congregation] in Lucknow on [November] 22, gatherings at all [Delhi] borders on November 26 and march to Parliament on Novmeber 29,” farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said at a press conference after the meeting.
Rajewal also said that the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will hold another meeting on November 27.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi’s border entry points for nearly a year, seeking the withdrawal of the farm laws.
On November 19, Modi announced that the Union government will repeal the three laws in the Winter Session of Parliament, which will begin on November 29.
However, farmer unions have said that they will continue to hold agitations at the borders of Delhi till the laws are revoked in Parliament.
The Opposition pointed out that the announcement came ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh scheduled for early next year. Farmers from the two states have been at the forefront of the agitation.
On Saturday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha asked farmers to continue the agitation against the government by participating in the Lucknow Kisan Mahapanchayat on Monday.
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Farm laws
The farmers were concerned about the new laws, which would have opened up the country’s agriculture markets to private companies.
The Centre, however, had claimed that the laws would give farmers more access to markets and boost production through private investment.
In January, nearly two months into the farmers’ movement, the Supreme Court suspended the implementation of the farm laws. It instead set up a committee and tasked it to consult stakeholders and assess the impact of the laws.
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