Farmers protest ends after a year, govt agrees to all demands: 5 updates
The agitating farmers have called off their protest against the government after more than a year. The farmers decided to call off the agitation after the government repealed the three controversial farm laws.
Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, had taken to the streets for nearly 15 months to protest against three farm laws brought in by the government.
On Gurpurab this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the farm laws. The laws were formally revoked in the current session of the Parliament.
Here are the latest updates:
1. SKM ANNOUNCES THE END TO PROTESTS
Farmers union Samyukta Kisan Morcha announced that they have decided to suspend the protest against the government. SKM had been leading the farmers agitation all this while. Farmer leader Darshan Pal Singh said that agitating farmers will be leaving the protest site on December 11.
Protesting farmers will vacate the protest sites on December 11: Farmer leader Darshan Pal Singh pic.twitter.com/Ftg76o7Rd1
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021
2. REVIEW MEETING ON JANUARY 15, 2022
SKM, an umbrella of several farmer unions, said that they will be holding a review meet on January 15. Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni said that they will resume their agitation if the government doesn’t meet all of their demands.
3. DEMANDS OF THE FARMERS
Other than the repeal of the three farm laws, the SKM had also submitted a 6-point demand letter to the Centre on November 21. The demands include a surety on Minumum Support Price (MSP), and also withdrawal of criminal cases against agitating farmers.
The Centre sent a signed draft proposal to the SKM agreeing to set up a committee to discuss the MSP issue. The Centre has also agreed to drop all police cases against agitating farmers. This also includes cases filed against farmers for stubble burning.
Protesting farmers receive a letter from Govt of India, with promises of forming a committee on MSP and withdrawing cases against them immediately"As far as the matter of compensation is concerned, UP and Haryana have given in-principle consent," it reads pic.twitter.com/CpIEJGFY4p
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021
4. ELECTRICITY AMENDMENT BILL AND COMPENSATION
The Centre has assured the farmers that they will be tabling the Electricity Amendment Bill only after discussion with them. The farmers also wanted that the Bill on electricity be withdrawn, as they believed it would end subsidised electricity provided to them.
Moreover, the farmers have demanded financial compensation from the Centre for over 700 protesters who were killed during the year-long agitation.
5. FARMERS HAVE STARTED REMOVING TENTS
The farmers have already started removing the tents at Singhu border and other protest sites.
Farmers start removing tents from their protest site in Singhu on Delhi-Haryana "We are preparing to leave for our homes, but the final decision will be taken by Samyukt Kisan Morcha," a farmer says pic.twitter.com/rzRjPkPfE1
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021
The farmers' itinerary goes like this:
December 11: Farmers to vacate Singhu border 9 am onwards
December 13: Farmers will pay a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar
December 15: All farmers' protest in Punjab to be suspended
January 15: SKM to hold review meet in Delhi.