Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 14: Amidst strong resentment of farmers in Punjab against the three farm laws enacted by the centre in September, one of the panelists of the four-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court for mediating in the farmers-centre dispute, has resigned from the committee.
The national president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Mann) Bhupinder Singh Mann has recused himself from the four-member panel. The 81 year old former independent member of the Rajya Sabha, Mann, whose inclusion in the committee itself stoked controversy among farmer unions, said he was quitting from the committee since he want to “always stand with my farmers and Punjab.”
Known to be a strong supporter of the central acts, Mann apparently was finding it difficult to balance between the overwhelming resentment of the farmers in Punjab against the three laws and his personal views of “free market” for the farmers which the new laws ensured.
As the farmers agitation holding dharna on the borders of Delhi completed 50 days on Thursday, the apex court-appointed committee itself face the tough challenge of trying to find a way out of the stalemate with both the sides having taken inconvertible stands on the issue, the government refusing to repeal the acts and the farmers determined not to accept anything less than total roll ack.
Even as the farmers’ unions have refused to appear before the committee expressing doubts over the sincerity of the panelists to their cause, Mann said he was ready sacrifice any post so as “not to compromise with Punjab and the farmers of the country.”
In an open statement Mann said, “While I am thankful to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India for nominating me in the 4 member committee to start dialogue with Kisan Unions on the three laws brought in by the Central Government.
“As a farmer myself and a Union leader, in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions amongst the farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as to not compromise the interests of Punjab and farmers of the country, I am recusing myself from the committee and I will always stand with my farmers and Punjab,” he said.
There was a feeling among the leaders of BKU (Mann) that when the agitators had refused to appear before the committee, there was no point of continuing in the panel. “He had to give the resignation when they (agitators) had stated they didn’t consider the panel anything. In such a scenario what type of report the committee would have submitted to the Supreme Court,” said a leader of BKU (Mann).
Soon after the composition of the committee was announced by the Supreme Court on Tuesday when it also stayed the implementation of the new acts to give time to the committee to mediate in the dispute, most of the panelists including Mann, who had in the past issued statements favouring the new acts, had promised to function “impartially” to know the views of both the sides.
It was not known what transpired in the last two days to make Mann, a resident of Batala in Punjab, to quit the committee considering that soon after his name was doing rounds in the media as a member of the Supreme Court committee, he had made a statement, “I don’t want to say anything on the farm laws as of now. Though I am yet to get official information from SC that I am a committee member, if my name has appeared in that committee, I want to stay impartial.”
Farmer unions and various opposition parties had raised doubts over the composition of the panel, insisting that its members have been in favour of the three laws in the past.
Apart from Mann , Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) president Anil Ghanwat, International Food Policy Research Institute’s Pramod Kumar Joshi and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati were appointed on the panel. All the three have promised to function in an ‘impartial’ and ‘unbiased’ manner in a bid to bring about an agreement between the two sides “keeping the best interests of the farmers in mind.”
“I can assure you that the panel will do its job in an impartial and honest manner. All the members will develop the modalities on how to proceed. We will formulate a plan of action and a time frame so that we can submit our report in two months,” Joshi said on behalf of the panel.
Expressing a similar sentiment, Anil Ghanwat said, “The well-being of the farmers will be our foremost and only priority. There will be no political motives or biases involved. We will seek to ensure that the law does justice to farmers.”
The committee was asked to submit its report to the Supreme Court within two months of its first sitting, which was due to take place within 10 days but with Mann’s resignation, it might further be delayed till the apex court reconstitutes the committee.
The three contentious laws are the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at the border of Delhi demanding the repeal of the laws they say will lead to the weakening of the minimum support price (MSP) system.