Movement will continue till MSP is decided: Rakesh Tikait on evacuating the site of picket at Delhi border
Highlight
- Center should also start talks on legal guarantee of MSP: Tikait
- Union Minister VK Singh asked what is black in agricultural laws other than the ink that writes them?
- RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary urges farmers to continue their protest till they get legal guarantee
Clearing the confusion, farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday said the protest would continue till “all their demands” were met and said repealing the agriculture laws was just the first step. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the Center would repeal three agriculture laws, marking a march by his government to meet the relentless demand of farmers.
In an exclusive interview with India TV, Tikait said, “Of course, we are happy that all three agricultural laws have been repealed, but this is not the end. The Center has to initiate talks on a legal guarantee for the minimum support price as well. (MSP).” Congress and Left parties have also demanded that a law on MSP guarantee should be made by repealing three laws from last year.
After its decision to repeal three agriculture laws, the Center is now facing pressure from agitating farmers’ unions and opposition parties to bring a law guaranteeing minimum support prices. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of agitating unions, is meeting on Sunday to decide on the next course of action, including the MSP issue and the proposed daily tractor march in Parliament, during the upcoming winter session.
“In 2011, even the then Manmohan Singh government did not bring a law guaranteeing MSP, nor is this government making any effort to do so.”
on anti-social elements
When asked about any anti-social elements hijacking the protest, the farmer leader said, “What is our intelligence doing to deal with anti-social elements. No one can hijack our movement… It is completely It is the failure of the Center that they allowed this movement to continue for so long.”
On taking advantage of opposition by opposition
“I don’t see anything wrong in questioning the Centre’s action in the opposition or inaction on the protests. It is the job of the opposition to ask questions.”
Hundreds of protesting farmers have been camping in important parts of Delhi’s borders at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur since November 2020, forcing people to make rounds of interstate travel. In January, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of all three laws.
Read also | Apart from ink, what is black in agricultural laws: VK Singh
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