New Delhi: Farmers on Saturday deferred their ‘sansad chalo’, or ‘march to Parliament’ call, two days before the government is to introduce a bill cancelling the farm laws that have triggered protests nationwide.
“We are postponing the ‘Parliament march’ for November 29. The government has promised us that the laws will be repealed in Parliament on the 29th,” farmer leader Dr Darshan Pal told reporters this afternoon, after a meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
“We wrote to the Prime Minister, in which we made many demands. We demanded cases against farmers should be quashed… MSP to be guaranteed… (families of) farmers martyred in this movement should get compensation… stubble burning cases and electricity bills should be cancelled,” he said.
“We will wait till December 4… will announce our next action then,” he added.
Earlier this week farmer leader Rakesh Tikait declared that more than 60 tractors and over 1,000 people would march on Parliament on Monday, when the winter session is scheduled begin.
The government has said a bill to scrap the three farm laws, which were passed last year amid ruckus and chaos in Parliament, will be tabled Monday by Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar.
The BJP has issued whips to all its MPs (as has the Congress) to be present on opening day.
Earlier today Mr Tomar urged farmers to end their agitation, saying he saw “no point” in it continuing now that the government had agreed to scrap the laws. He also said a committee would be constituted to discuss farmers’ issues, and that the government had accepted various demands.
