No invitation yet from SC-appointed panel for Jan 3 meeting: Farm unions

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) today said they had not received any invitation from the Supreme Court-appointed committee, formed to look into the issues of farmers, for January 3 meeting in Panchkula.

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Speaking on their behalf, farm leader Abhimanyu Kohar said none of these unions had received invitation from the Supreme Court-named panel for talks. In the same breath, he said they would not go to attend the meeting with the committee at any cost.

On December 16, the kisan unions received an invitation from the committee to hold talks on December 18, however, farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered Day 36 today at the Khanauri border, wrote to the panel stating that their demands were related to the Centre, thus they would only talk to them, said Kohar, adding that other farm unions were free to participate in the meeting on January 3.

Kohar pointed out that Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture in its report in mid-December, the SC-appointed committee in its 11-page interim report in November and PM Narendra Modi (then CM of Gujarat) as a chairman of the Central Consumer Affairs Committee in his report in 2011, had emphasised on the enactment of the minimum support price (MSP) guarantee law.

Besides, the Swaminathan Commission in its recommendations had also recommended fixation of the MSP as per CT+50 per cent formula, he added. Kohar said they were just demanding enactment of the MSP guarantee law from the Centre.

Lakhwinder Singh Aulakh, president, Bhartiya Kisan Ekta (BKE), Haryana, said they had received inputs that the government had been gathering forces in Punjab to shift farm leader Dallewal from the morcha site and get him admitted to a hospital. He said they had asked volunteers to step up the security of Dallewal. He added that farmers from several parts of the country will participate in ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ to be held on January 4 at the Khanauri border.

Farm leaders—Inderjit Singh Kot Budha and Surjit Singh Phul—called upon the farmers to take part in ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ with their families to send a strong message to the Centre.

On January 4, Dallewal would also deliver a message from the stage for the farming community and people of the country, said Phul.

Meanwhile, health condition of Dallewal weakened further. His blood pressure had once gone down to 70 on Monday night.