‘We Take Decisions Unanimously’: Farmer Leader Shiv Kumar Kakka on ‘Complete’ Rejection of Govt’s Proposal

“We take decisions unanimously. It is about consensus and not majority,” farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said on Wednesday, explaining why the unions “completely” rejected the government proposal to amend the new agri laws. He also said that there were no differences among farmer unions as was being reported by a section of the media.

At the meeting of farmers’ representatives on Wednesday afternoon, everybody agreed that the three new laws be scrapped and a specific law be enacted on the Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said. “We take decisions unanimously. It is about consensus and not majority…it cannot be that some people are agreeing to it and others are not. If all unions say the laws should be scrapped, that’s our decision…There is no question of having a personal opinion,” Kakka said. “In all five meetings with the farmer unions, the government held marathon discussions on the same points (that figured in the proposal). Finally, we asked them (government) to answer in ‘yes or no’ whether they want to repeal the three new laws and guarantee MSP or not?” Kakka said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said the same thing. The farmer leaders told him they do not want to talk on those points anymore, he claimed.

“When we asked Amit Shah why you did not consult farmers before enacting the three laws, he acknowledged that some mistakes had been made. Shah also told the farmer leaders that the government is ready to make more amendments to the three laws if there is a need for it,” Kakka claimed. “Then he sent us the proposal this morning and it had the same points that were discussed in the five meetings. There was nothing new,” he said, explaining why the farmer leaders rejected the government’s proposal to amend agri laws.