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Vibha Sharna

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 19

Ahead of the tenth round of talks between agitating farmers and union ministers, members of the Supreme Court-appointed committee to deliberate with stakeholders concerned the three contentious farm laws on Tuesday held their first meeting.

The three members, Ashok Gulati (former CACP chairman) Anil Ghanwat (president of the Shetkari Sanghatana) and Pramod Joshi (former Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute), said personal views on the three laws notwithstanding, they will do their assignment (which is to present views of all sides to the SC) with complete objectivity and impartiality.

“We will try to convince the agitating farmers (who have already rejected the committee) to depose before them,” Ghanwat said

The fourth member appointed by the SC, BKU’s Bhupinder Singh Mann, had recused himself from the committee following widespread criticism. Today the members discussed the road-map of activities for the Committee for two months to prepare recommendations. Members said they will hold discussions with farmers and farmer organisations, both pro and against the farm laws.

The committee will send invitations to farmers unions and associations to discuss their views. Individual farmer can also submit his/her views on the portal to be notified soon. It will also hold discussions with State Governments, State Marketing Boards and other stakeholders like Farmer Producer Organisations, and Cooperatives, etc. Those who cannot meet personally can post suggestions on the website.

The committee is keen to understand the opinion on the subject of all concerned so that it can give suggestions which will definitely be in the interests of the farmers of India. “It will be a ‘nishpaksh’ (unbiased) committee. We have not been asked to give our views. Our responsibility is to present the views of farmers and stakeholders which we will do with complete impartiality,” they said.

Meanwhile, farmers also made it clear that they will hold a peaceful tractor rally on January 26 “inside Delhi” and that there is no scope of compromise on the issue. Jagmohan Singh Patiala of BKU (Dakaunda) said they told the Delhi police that farmers are preparing for a peaceful march (of tractors and trolleys with tricolours and unions’ flags and tableaux portraying lifestyle of farmers) on the Outer Ring Road and that there will be no change in the route plan.

Another meeting is planned with Delhi police officials tomorrow. The Delhi police are believed to have asked unions to choose an alternative route, citing traffic and other constraints.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader Yogendra Yadav said the day will go down in the history of the movement as an example of a peaceful protest and strength and resolve of farmers. “We are clear on three points, one, the parade will be on the planned route and there is no scope for a change in that; two, it will be inside Delhi; and three, it will be completely peaceful,” he said.

Photo Source: ANI

SC issues notice to Centre on plea to reconstitute committee on farm laws

New Delhi, January 20 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Central government and asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to respond to a plea filed by Kisan Mahapanchayat to reconstitute the Committee after one member recused himself.

This comes after Bhupinder Singh Mann, National President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Mann) recused himself from the 4-member committee appointed by Supreme Court over the new farm laws. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bodbe said it would hear the petition and asked Attorney General to file a response to the plea.

“This court appointed a committee of experts in the field of agriculture. The purpose of the appointment was clear — that is to listen to the grievances of the parties affected by the impugned laws with reference to the provisions enacted. Adjudicatory powers have not been conferred on the committee. The committee’s role is to hear the grievances of the parties affected and make a report to the court,” the Supreme Court said in its order.
“Sardar Bhupinder Singh Mann has resigned from the Committee. This has resulted in a vacancy in the committee. Kisan Mahapanchayat moves court seeking direction to fill up the vacancy. Notice issued in the application,” the Bench added.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave an d advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing on behalf of some farmers unions told the court that since the unions represented by them have decided not to participate in the deliberations of the committee, they have nothing to say about this application.

“No power has been given to committee members to adjudicate things, they have to report to us. Where is the question of bias? If you don’t want to appear before the committee, don’t appear but don’t malign or brand anyone like this, don’t cast aspersion on the court,” the CJI said.

During the hearing, the top court said that it doesn’t want to be subject to maligning and that it can’t base verdicts on public opinion.

“You just malign them for some opinion expressed in the past. The Supreme Court has appointed someone and you shred their reputation,” it added.

“We are telling you that you are appearing for a farmers union, the Kisan Mahapanchayat that wants the committee to change. Your demand is to change the committee. What is the basis for this? These people (in Committee) are the brightest minds in agriculture today. They have an expertise that their critics do not have and you are maligning them,” the Bench observed.

The Bench said the Committee doesn’t have the power to adjudicate the case but to hear the grievances of farmers.

“Where is the question of bias in this? We have not given adjudicating powers to the committee. You don’t want to appear before the Committee is understandable, but casting aspersions on someone because he expressed his view is not done. You don’t need to brand anybody like this,” CJI Bobde said.
“Everyone should have an opinion. Even judges have opinions. This has become a cultural thing. Branding people that you do not want has become the norm. We have not given any power of adjudication to the committee,” the Bench added.

The Supreme Court asked the advocate appearing for Kisan Mahapanchayat whether it’s the same organisation that rejected the constitution of the committee yesterday. The advocate replied in negative.

“We took up the case in the interest of the public. Now, you want to brand us? What do you mean read newspapers? Are you going to adjudicate on newspapers? Public opinion is important but it is not determinative for the court. If you can muster public opinion that can malign someone that doesn’t mean it will affect the court. We have judgments saying public opinion cannot say whether someone is biased. We have serious objections to our appointed committee members being called names. We want the committee to tell us what clauses have a problem. We don’t want experts to be the subject of the maligning. I am very disappointed to see what’s been appearing in the press,” CJI Bobde said.

The Supreme Court also said that it will not pass any order on the Centre’s plea against the proposed tractor rally or any other kind of protest by farmers on Republic Day.

“We have said that it is for the Police to decide. We are not going to pass the orders. You are the authority to take action,” the Chief Justice of India said.
If we uphold farm laws then you can start agitation but peace has to be maintained, he asserted.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for eight farmers unions, told the CJI that farmers only want to celebrate the Republic Day on outer ring road peacefully and there is no attempt to destroy peace. (ANI)

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Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 19

On the day the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm issue began its deliberations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said India has become a laughing stock with farmers of the country sitting on the roads in harsh winters, and that the repeal of the controversial farm laws is the only way out of the deadlock.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters on Tuesday, Gandhi accused the government of spawning monopolies and said four to five capitalist friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were now owning India.

“Millions do not accept the nonsense that is going on. They understand the massive failures taking place. We are a laughing stock. We cannot give people jobs. Farmers are sitting on the roads in the cold and I do not understand why the Prime Minister feels this is something to be proud of. He is destroying the vision Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress painstakingly made for India. He is throwing that vision to the winds,” said Gandhi, calling upon youngsters to see the “tragedy unfolding in the country in the form of monopolies”.

“This is not about the present. It is about the future. What we are seeing today across sectors from airports, infrastructure, power, telecom and retail is the development of massive monopolies in the country. I mean three, four, five people are now owning this country. This country is now owned by a limited group of people, who I call crony capitalists and have close relations with the Prime Minister, and who provide the Prime Minister media support,” he said, adding that agriculture was the last of the protected bastions to be overrun by these monopolies.

Describing the agitating farmers as patriots working to protect the country, Gandhi said it was tragic that the country was “watching the ridiculous show”.

“Why are the farmers of Punjab and Haryana standing there? Who are they? They are patriots protecting the livelihoods of people. I support them 100 per cent. Every single Indian should support them because they are fighting for us and for protecting the country from falling into the hands of few industrialists,” he noted adding that if the farm laws were to go through, the prices of essential commodities would rise.

Asked if the Congress would seek an all-party meet to break the ongoing deadlock between the Centre and the farmers, Gandhi said there was no deadlock.

“The government believes they can tire the farmers out and that the farmers can be fooled. Farmers cannot be tired out or fooled. They are wiser than the Prime Minister. There is only one solution, no other — the laws will have to be repealed,” said Gandhi adding that the Congress respected the ongoing farm agitation and was exerting pressure on the government in its own ways.

He alleged that the farmers were the first of the government towards monopolisation of sectors and there was more to come.

“You will understand this when you become slaves,” he said.

New Delhi, January 20

A farmer who allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at the Tikri border died during treatment at a hospital here on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Jai Bhagwan Rana (42), a resident of Pakasma village in Rohtak district of Haryana. He had consumed Sulphas tablets at the farmers’ protest site at Tikri on Tuesday, they said.

In a purported suicide note, Rana said he was a small farmer and many peasants have taken to the streets to protest against the Centre’s new farm laws.

“The government says it is a matter of only two to three states, but farmers from all over the country are protesting against the laws. Sadly, it is not a movement now, but a fight of issues. The talks between the farmers and the Centre also remain deadlocked,” he wrote in the letter.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) A Koan said the man was taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital by CAT ambulance where he passed away during the course of treatment.

He added that legal proceedings under CrPC have been initiated in the matter.

Last month, a lawyer from Punjab had allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison a few kilometres away from the protest site at the Tikri border.

A Sikh preacher, Sant Ram Singh, had also allegedly ended his life near the Singhu border protest site claiming that he was “unable to bear the pain of the farmers”.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for over two months demanding repeal of the three laws—the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.

Enacted in September 2020, the Centre has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers’ income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and “mandi” systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and ruled out repeal of the laws. — PTI

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Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 20

Upping the ante on the explosive Arnab Goswami chats on Wednesday, former Defence Minister and Congress veteran AK Antony said the leakage of secret military operations was treason and those who were party to the act deserved no mercy and must be punished.

Shocked at Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami’s remarks to ex-BARC chief Partho Dasgupta three days before the IAF strike in Balakot that “something big is going to happen”, Antony said leaking official secret is a crime but leaking information on military operations was an anti national act and those involved must be punished.

Antony also said only four to five civilians in the top echelons of the government had the Balakot strike information and “someone from among them has leaked it.”

“Having worked with the military people I am sure no one from the military could ever leak such information,” the former defence minister said.

Demanding that an enquiry be ordered immediately to determine the source of the leak and whether the leak compromised the Balakot operations, Antony said, “One of the top five civilians in the government suspect. It has to be enquired immediately on war footing as to who that person is. Whoever is responsible for the leakage must be punished for treason and this journalist who was in possession of sensitive military operations he has to be punished. The government must order a proper enquiry. Whoever is responsible, whoever is party to the leakage of this sensitive military operation deserves no mercy. He has to be punished.”

The ex-minister, flanked by former home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said today that “Leaking of official secret is a criminal act but leaking of official secret about military operation, a national security matter, that too sensitive military operations especially a military strike is treason, anti national.”

It is not just criminal action it is anti national activity, said Antony. He said only three or four or five ministers and officials could have known of the operation.

Antony said how three days before the Balakot strike on February 26, 2019, one journalist came to know the details of the air strike.

“It could have affected the operations. I don’t know whether it did not or. Effectiveness of the operation could also have been affected if details are known in advance to someone. How did a person not authorized to have this information end up having it?” he asked adding that a handful of people would know.

“After working with the military people I am very sure no military officer will leak such sensitive information to journalists or others so these documents were leaked to one journalist from among those four or five civilian people who are in the top position in the government, either the ministers or officers concerned with national security. Only they can leak these documents,” he said.

Shinde said the leakage must be probed under the Official Secrets Act with the Congress adding that the matter would be raised in Parliament and demand of a JPC made at an appropriate time after speaking to other parties.

Azad demanded a probe into whether Arnab was simply bragging his proximity to the government or whether he actually got help from the government to manipulate the TRPs through unlawful means.

“This matter is not the concern of one political party but of the entire country, how two persons—editor of a national channel and CEO of BARC – manipulated the TRPs. TRP itself gives you a greater role in national news networks and more advertisements. If someone has become richer, got more finances and ads not in normal course or merit but through criminal conspiracy and by manipulating TRPs artificially, this is a matter of great concern,” Azad said.

He asked whether the TRP and BARC system should function at the cost of national security.

Khurshid mentioned the alleged unsavoury references in the chats about the judiciary with Dasgupta once asking Arnab to “Buy the judge” and asked whether the judiciary would take cognizance of the issue.

“Irresponsible statements have been made in relation to a case. The comments are very painful and therefore some questions arise. Have attempts been made to influence the judiciary? Have any wrong decisions been secured through this influence?” asked Khurshid.