Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) along with other farmer unions today held a crucial meeting on the future of farm protests. The meeting was called after the government’s draft to the agitating farmers over pending issues. Speaking after the meeting, a BKU leader said that they have accepted the revised draft given by the Centre over our demands in regard to farmers agitation against three farm laws. He said they will hold another meeting after soon they receive a formal letter from the Centre.
The farmers will be holding a meeting on Thursday at 12 o’ clock in the afternoon to discuss the future course of action.
The farmers’ pending issues include surety on Minimum Support Price, withdrawal of the draft Electricity Amendments Bill, 2020/2021, withdrawal of criminal cases against farmers and compensation for the families of farmers who died during the year-long protest.
The farmers’ union had called a meeting of its top leaders at the Singhu border on Tuesday to deliberate on the Centre’s draft proposal.
Sources also told India Today that a major section of the SKM is in favour of calling off the agitation.
However, the acceptance comes hours after Ashok Dhawale, a member of the SKM’s five-member committee, said that the draft proposal had “a few flaws”.
The Centre has said that “all the demands of the agitating farmers have been agreed upon. Hence, there is no point in continuing the protest.”
The Centre has appealed to the SKM, the umbrella body of farmers’ unions leading the protest, to withdraw its agitation.
On December 4, SKM selected five people to be part of a committee empowered to hold talks with the government on behalf of all the protesting farmers.
