Darshan Pal welcomes Mann’s decision to recuse himself
Earlier on Thursday, Mann recused himself from the committee and said that his allegiance remains with farmers across the country.
Farmer leader Darshan Pal, who heads the Krantikari Kisan Union, called Bhupinder Singh Mann’s resignation from the Supreme Court-appointed four-member committee to mediate between the Centre and farmers’ union representative a "good development".
Pal also said that the next course of action will be decided by the farmers’ union representatives after Friday’s meeting. “We will go to tomorrow's meeting with the government. We will decide what to do next based on how the government will behave. One committee member has already resigned which is a good thing,” Pal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Earlier on Thursday, Mann recused himself from the committee and said that his allegiance remains with farmers across the country. While staying the implementation of the three central farm laws on January 12, the Supreme Court had appointed committee with Mann, president of Maharashtra's Shetkeri Sangthana Anil Ghanwat; Pramod Kumar Joshi, the director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati as members to resolve the impasse between the government and the farmers who have been protesting for the past seven weeks.
Mann is the national president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU).
“I am thankful to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India for nominating me in the four-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 among 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,” Mann said in a letter tweeted by BKU.
The government and the farm unions held eight rounds of discussions but could not arrive at a resolution regarding the farm bills. Farmers claim that the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance, and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, will allow corporates to enter and earn profits from the agricultural sector affecting farmers’ incomes.
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