D-day tomorrow: SKM to take final call on ending farmers' protest in Wednesday's meet
Highlights
- SKM will hold another crucial meeting today to discuss future of farm protests
- After Tuesday's meeting, SKM responded to govt's draft on pending demands
- Reports say farmers may announce end of protest after today's meeting
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is slated to take the final call on the year-long farmers' agitation at a crucial meeting today around 2 pm. On Tuesday, the SKM responded to the proposal forwarded to them by the Centre, and on the basis of the government's reply back, the final decision will be announced today.
The government's proposal sought an end to the farmers' protest demanding clarification on certain points, including on the precondition set for the withdrawal of "fake" cases against farmers. Farmer leaders said they will hold another meeting at 2 pm on Wednesday (today) on the issue.
The government sent a proposal, it was discussed and presented before all members of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said. The government’s proposal said that it will form a committee to look into the demand for a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) and the panel will include farmer organisations outside the SKM, government officials and representatives of states, he said.
"We had objections to it … we do not want other committees who have been against our demands since the start to be part of the panel on MSP. We have demanded the government give a clarification in this regard,” Rajewal said.
"We are also against the condition set by the government that farm unions should lift the protest for the withdrawal of fake cases against farmers," he said. Another farmer leader said they received the proposal Tuesday afternoon.
"We discussed it in the meeting. We had certain objections to some points in the proposal. Our members have given some suggestions and these have been sent to the government," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
