Farmers’ demands half met, movement to continue for new MSP law: SKM’s Hannan Mollah

PTI, Nov 19, 2021, 1:35 PM IST

New Delhi: Terming the withdrawal of the three farm laws “historic”, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Hannan Mollah said on Friday that the farmers’ have only achieved half of their objective and they will now press for a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP).

Mollah, the general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), said that he was cautious till the legislations were scrapped in Parliament as the BJP-led government was “not trustworthy”.

“It is indeed a historic victory for all of us. However, I am a bit cautious and unwilling to trust this government until and unless these three laws are scrapped on the floor of Parliament,” Mollah told PTI.

“There are instances where this government had said that they are withdrawing an ordinance, but nothing moved forward. We don’t trust this government as it has a track record of saying something and doing something exactly opposite,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation, announced that the government has decided to repeal the three farm laws, which were at the centre of protests by farmers for the past year.

Mollah, who is also a politburo member of the CPI(M), said the farmers have only half-achieved their demands.

“To think that our movement is over is not right as the farmers’ movement started on two demands — withdrawal of the three farms laws and bringing in a new law to guarantee MSP. So our demands have been half met. Now, what will be the form of the movement that will be decided through discussions,” he said.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the borders of the national capital since November 26 last year to demand repeal of the three farm laws — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — and enactment of a new law to guarantee MSP for crops.