Farmers' Stir: SKM Committee Likely To Meet Amit Shah, Narendra Singh Tomar

A five-member committee of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is likely to meet Union ministers Amit Shah and Narendra Singh Tomar separately on Wednesday to discuss their pending farm related issues, a farmer leader said.

The likely discussions with the two ministers will take place hours before the scheduled meeting at 2 pm of the SKM, which is spearheading the movement against three farm laws.

The members of the SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farm unions, has called a crucial meeting at the Singhu Border on Wednesday to decide the fate of the agitation.

“The five-member panel of the SKM will have an internal meeting today morning and then they are scheduled to meet Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to discuss farmer issues and pending demands.  They are also likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Afterwards, a decision is likely after the SKM's 2 pm meeting,” a senior farmer leader told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

The farmer leader said that the government's attitude in considering farmers' demands has been “positive” lately and hinted towards a positive decision in connection with the fate of the farmers' movement. 

On Tuesday, the SKM had demanded clarification on certain points, in the government's proposal, including on the precondition set for withdrawal of 'fake' cases against farmers.

According to the farmers' body, the government's proposal said that it will form a committee to look into the demand for legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops and the panel will include farmer organisations outside the SKM, government officials and representatives of states.

The SKM members have objection to this and they have decided to meet again on Wednesday to deliberate on these issues and announce the future course of the agitation.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the borders of the national capital since November 26 last year to demand repeal of the three farm laws.

On November 29, a bill was passed in Parliament to repeal the three contentious farm laws, one of the main demands of the protesting farmers.

But the stalemate continues with the protesters demanding that the government fulfil their other demands that included a legal guarantee on MSP and withdrawal of cases against farmers.