Farmers reject Centre's offer of written assurance on MSP, changes in acts

Top opposition leaders meet President to repeal the laws

Farmers on Wednesday rejected the Centre's offer of making some key changes to the three farm Acts, along with a written assurance on continuing with the current minimum support price-based procurement system, further prolonging the stalemate. 

The Centre, in its proposals communicated in writing to the farmers, also suggested a raft of changes to the new farm Acts, such as power to states to register and charge levy on private mandis outside the regulated agricultural produce market committees (APMCs). It gave farmers the option to approach civil courts if they were not satisfied with the existing dispute resolution mechanism. 

It also said states could frame rules for registration of traders outside the APMC. 

The Trade Act states that anyone with a permanent account number can purchase farm produce outside the regulated APMCs.

Not satisfied with the proposals, farmer groups rejected the offer and demanded complete repeal of the Acts.

The disgruntled farmer groups said they would send in their own version of the changes to the Acts and threatened to step up their agitation.

Meanwhile, on the question of repealing the three farm Acts, the central government rejected it, saying it was instead willing to discuss all points of dispute threadbare.

The offer of a written compromise came after a four-hour-long meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday night.

Apart from changes to the new farm Acts, the central government also assured farmers that the current system of electricity subsidy would continue and no changes would be incorporated as proposed in the draft electricity Bill.

It also said that farmers’ grievance on penalty for stubble burning — as underlined in the new Ordinance on Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region — would be suitably addressed

The central government tried to assure farmers that the new farm Acts would not encroach upon their land and said it was willing to further strengthen their provisions to remove doubts, if any.

“The Acts clearly state that they aren’t an encumbrance upon the land of the farmer, but if there is any doubt, it can be further clarified,” stated the document sent by the central government to the agitating farmers.

On the registration of contracts in the Contract Farming Act, the Centre said there was a provision that states would have the right to register such agreements between a buyer and a farmer. But till such time an authority is not framed, a copy of the said agreement would have to be deposited with the sub-divisional magistrate concerned.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi from the Congress, Sharad Pawar from the Nationalist Congress Party, Sitaram Yechury from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), D Raja from the Communist Party of India, and T K S Elangovan from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, met President Ram Nath Kovind to urge him to persuade the government to yield to the demands of protesting farmers and repeal the three farm Bills, which, incidentally, the President had already given assent to, making them law.

This is the second meeting of the Opposition leaders on these Bills - the first one being in September, when they urged the President to counsel the government to withdraw the Bills and return them without signing them.