COURTESY HT FEB 10

Environment of enmity must end: Farm unions
Zia Haq

zia.haq@htlive.com

New Delhi : A day ahead of a crucial meeting of farm unions, leaders of the over two-month-long protest against three farm laws said on Tuesday that direct talks with the government were the only way to end the agitation for which, they added, the government must end “the atmosphere of enmity” by lifting restrictions on the Internet and restoring essential services, such as water and electricity, at protest sites.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the platform of farm unions spearheading the protests, will hold its full working committee meeting on Wednesday, in which its leaders would discuss ways to scale up their campaign and reiterate their stand on being open to talks, said Darshan Pal, a key farm leader.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Parliament on Monday, urged farmers to end their agitation and resume dialogue and assured them that a system of minimum floor prices for key crops would continue as usual. The farm unions, however, lashed out at the PM for calling supporters of the farmers’ agitation “andolan jeevi,” or protest parasites.

So far 11 rounds of talks between 40 farm leaders and the government have failed to resolve the crisis. Both the government and farmers had called off the series of discussions on January 22, citing lack of progress. The unions have rejected the government’s offer to freeze the laws for 18 months, demanding their repeal