Satya Pal Malik says, will tour North India post gubernatorial term to unite farmers

Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik, while addressing a gathering in Haryana's Jind, said that he would tour northern India to unite farmers after his tenure as Governor ends and will urge them to form their own government.

"I will soon tour the northern states to unite the farmers and urge them to form their own government in Delhi. Though the PM accepted some of their demands, many issues remain unaddressed," said Malik on Sunday.

"This is the time to change the government. Get united and form your own government," he added.

Malik has been a vocal opponent of now repealed Centre's three farm laws which witnessed protest by farmers for a year on the border of the national capital.

"We had lost more than 700 farmers and the Prime Minister, who used to write a letter on the death of a bitch, did not even speak a single word to condole their death," Malik said charging an attack on the government.

Alleging the mala fide intentions behind the passage of three farm laws, Meghalaya Governor said, "the Union Government has failed to give legal guarantee on the MSP because the Prime Minister's friend, who had constructed a godown on 50 acres of land in Panipat before the three farm laws were brought, want to purchase wheat at lower prices and sell the same at higher prices and this is a battle between farmers and government."

Both the houses of Parliament passed the three farm laws on September 2020. The three laws enacted were the 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.

Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, started protesting against the laws on the Delhi border from November 2020.

Several rounds of talks were held between farmers' leaders and the central government.On November 19 2021, Prime Minister Modi announced that the Centre will roll back the farm laws.After the Prime Minister's announcement, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation under which many farm unions were protesting against the laws, on December 9, 2021 announced the suspension of their year-long agitation.

The laws were repealed after the requisite bills were passed during the winter session of Parliament which began on November 23, 2021.

( With inputs from ANI )