Farmers' protest likely to be called off as Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders meet today

For months, farmer unions protested against the three farm laws (Representative image)

The five-member committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), constituted for negotiations with the government, will hold meetings today to decide the future course of ongoing agitation which, reports said, may end soon.

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The committee met with the representatives of the Union government on December 7. The meeting discussed the pending demands of the protesting farmers which includes a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and withdrawal of cases against them.

The farmers' demands also include compensation to those farmers who lost their lives during the year-long agitation against the three contentious farm laws.

The government, in its proposal, is learned to have asked farmers to end the year-long protest after which cases against them will be taken back.

"Government's proposal says after we end the movement, then only will they withdraw cases. We are apprehensive about it. Government should immediately begin with the withdrawal) procedure. Final decision to be taken at tomorrow's meeting," Balbir Singh Rajewal, a farmer leader said on December 7.

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The SKM confirmed to have received a written draft statement by the Centre.

“The proposal was constructively discussed by the farm leaders at the SKM meeting at Singhu border today (Tuesday). The Morcha will seek further clarifications on a few points of the Government’s proposal and will reconvene at 2 pm on Wednesday for further discussions. The Morcha hopes for a positive response from the Government,” said a statement by SKM, the umbrella body of farmers' unions leading the protest against the now-repealed farm laws.

President Ram Nath Kovind on December 1 gave his assent to a Bill passed by Parliament to repeal three farm laws, 12 days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government was scrapping the laws that ran afoul of farmer groups. The presidential nod to the Farm Laws Repeal Act, 2021 meant that the three farm laws stand scrapped now.

The Bill to repeal the laws was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on November 29, the first day of the winter session of Parliament.

The farmer unions leading the stir, however, did not end the protest saying d their agitation would only end only after their remaining demands were addressed.