Repeal laws, legally authorise MSP: Farmer leader Joginder Ugrahan after farmers reject Centre's proposal

Farmers have only one demand, repeal the farm laws and legally authorise minimum support price (MSP), said farmer leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan on Thursday after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha rejected the government's proposal to put new farm laws on hold for about 18 months.

"It's been decided that no proposal of the government will be accepted until and unless they repeal the laws. In tomorrow's meet with the government, we'll say that we've only one demand, repeal the laws and legally authorise MSP. All these have been unmously decided," Ugrahan told media after Samyukta Kisan Morcha's meeting.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws virtually met with farmers' unions and associations on Thursday.

The committee requested farmers' representatives to 'give their views frankly' on the laws.

A day after the government proposed that it is ready to put new farm laws on hold for about 18 months, the protesting farmer unions rejected the proposal and insisted on their demand for the repeal of the three laws.

Yesterday, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said that after the talks the government had proposed that implementation of farm laws should be kept on hold for a period of one to one-and-a-half years.

He had also said that representatives of farmers' unions and the government can discuss all issues related to the farmers' agitation during the period so that an appropriate solution can be found.

The farmer unions had said that they will discuss the proposal in detail. The next round of talks is scheduled for Friday.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )