Farm laws: Congress raises doubts over neutrality of SC panel

New Delhi: Soon after the Supreme Court set up a committee to resolve the impasse over three agriculture laws, Congress party, on Tuesday, claimed that all the four members of the panel have taken a public stance endorsing the laws and therefore farmers cannot expect neutrality in talks with them.

While addressing a press briefing, Congress chief spokesperson and general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "We welcome the concern expressed by the Supreme Court today regarding the farmer's agitation. However, when an analysis of the four-member committee was being done, it leaves us alarmed. All the four members are known to have taken a public stand in favour of the farm laws. How can such a committee do justice to the farmers?"

He claimed that the first member of this committee, Ashok Gulati, who is an agriculture economist, has written a column in which he stated that the three laws are for the benefit for the agriculture sector and opposition parties are trying to mislead the farmers.

While speaking about Pramod Kumar Joshi, director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, Surjewala claimed that he had written in one of his articles that the three laws are absolutely correct and there should not be any Minimum Support Price. "The farm agitations demand to repeal the three farm laws and legalise minimum support price baffles us, given the apprehensions over the impact of the loss on the farmers are mostly misplaced," Surjewala quoted P K Joshi's column.

Joshi had called the farmers demand as "illogical" and "impractical", saying that the procurement of commodities at declared prices is not feasible as the government has to create a huge network for procurement of all commodities throughout the year and arrange for stocking and disposal at prevailing market prices.

Third member of the committee, Anil Ghanwat, who is president of Bhartiya Kisan Union, the Congress leader claimed that he had organized a demonstration in favour of farm laws on October 2, 2020, on behalf of Shetkari Sangathan. He also submitted a memorandum in which Ghanwat stated that these laws are the first step towards "financial freedom" of farmers.

Surjewala showed a picture in which the fourth member of the committee, Bhupinder Singh Mann, chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee, had met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and expressed his support to the farm laws. He also pointed out that AIKCC is a petitioner in the Supreme Court while asking, "How can a petitioner be made a member of this panel?"

"One of the members of the party is already an interested party, asking for implementation of the three black laws. The other three members have publicly advocated dismantling the MSP as well as public procurement. We wonder, how can such committee give justice to the farmers when they will come with a pre-meditated approach. This is the same as the obdurate, arrogant Modi Government which do not repeal the three laws," Surjewala asserted.

He also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should talk to the farmers on January 15 and should repeal the three laws immediately to end the deadlock between Center and farmers.

Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also raised the same concern in his tweet, saying, "The concern expressed by the Supreme Court over the farmers' protests is justified and welcome in the situation created by a stubborn government. The decision to form a committee to help find a solution is well-intentioned. However, the composition of the four-member committee is puzzling and sends contradictory signals."