Govt agrees to withdraw cases, farmers' agitation set to be called off today

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Wednesday said that a consensus has been reached over a revised draft proposal of the Centre on their pending demands and it will now meet on Thursday to decide the future course of the movement, even as its leaders demanded a formal communication on government letterhead.

Sources in the farmers' umbrella body indicated that once unions receive a formal communication from the government on the agreed fresh draft proposal, the farmers' agitation, which had started at the three Delhi border points - Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri - on November 26 last year, will be ended soon.

Farmer leader and SKM core committee member Gurnam Singh Chaduni said that the earlier draft from the central government on pending demands was not acceptable to them following which a fresh proposal was received from the Centre on Wednesday.

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According to the SKM sources, the fresh proposal sent clarified that the government will include SKM members in the committee on MSP and that governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana have agreed to withdraw cases against farmers with immediate effect. Cases registered against farmers in Delhi will also be withdrawn.

"Consensus has reached on government's fresh proposal. Now, a formal communication signed on the government's letterhead is awaited. SKM will meet again tomorrow at 12 noon, at Singhu Border, to take a formal decision thereafter to lift the morchas,” the SKM said in a statement after a meeting of its core committee.

At a press conference, Chaduni said no decision has been taken yet on calling off agitation and they will decide about suspending the agitation after the meeting tomorrow.

"We are in agreement with the government regarding our demands," he said.

The SKM had formed a five-member panel for a dialogue with the Centre regarding pending demands of farmers including legal guarantee on MSP, withdrawal of cases against farmers registered during the movement and compensation to kins of farmers who died during the agitation.

Also See: No data on farmers' deaths, no question of compensation: Minister Narendra Tomar