The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has suspended its protest against the three farm laws. The protesters were sitting on rail tracks for the last 169 days, thus blocking passenger and goods trains movement. They were blocking Amritsar-Delhi track near Jandiala Guru in Amritsar.
The KMSC said that it took the decision to suspend the protest in view of the wheat harvest season. The committee, however, vowed to strengthen the protest at several Delhi border points.
KMSC general secretary Sarwan Pandher said, "The harvest season is coming up. We will also put more power in our dharna at Delhi." He said that if the Centre doesn’t react positively to the demands of farmers, "the dharna can resume".
While all other farmer unions had ended dharnas on railway tracks in Punjab in November, the KMSC was reluctant to allow trains.
Farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee were squatting on the Amritsar-Delhi rail track since September 24 last year in protest against the three farm laws enacted by the Centre.
The agitation disrupted rail traffic and severely impacted coal supply for thermal power plants in Punjab.
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders for over two months demanding rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Farmers are opposing the laws, terming them against their interest as it will dismantle the mandi system and the MSP structure. Besides, they believe that the laws will give power to corporates over their lands.
However, the three laws -- enacted in September 2020, have been projected by the Central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. The government has repeatedly assured the farmers that these three laws will not do away with MSP and mandis.
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