Chhavi Bhatia
New Delhi—Hours after the Supreme Court constituted an experts’ committee to facilitate negotiations, the protesting farmers rejected the same Tuesday. Citing that most of the members in the committee were in favour of the laws, the farmer leaders declined to accept the committee or hold any discussion with the agency. They, meanwhile, welcomed the other order of putting the new farm laws at the centre of a storm, on hold.
“We refuse to accept this committee as most of its members are pro-government and they have been proactive in justifying the laws in the past,” the Punjab Kisan Union said in a joint statement. “This is just another tactic of the government to divert attention from the protest. It is common knowledge that these members are pro-government. They have been writing opinion pieces in newspapers, waxing eloquent about the benefits of these laws,” said prominent farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union president Balbir Singh Rajewal.
Skeptical that the Centre is trying to form a panel through the Supreme Court, the farmers also asserted that they will not go back before the laws are repealed. “Rest assured no one is going back (from the border) till the laws are rolled back. We never sought any committee, our demand has been very clear from day one. This panel is being imposed upon us,” he further said, adding they would intensify the agitation all across the country.
The farmers also stood firm on their decision to march towards Delhi on Republic Day. Rubbishing the petition filed by Delhi Police to restrict their movement to prevent violence, they said that it would be peaceful. “The protest has been peaceful from the start. There won’t be any disruption of peace on January 26th too,” the leaders said.
