New Delhi: The Punjab government has invited three farmer leaders -- Satnam Singh Pannu, Sawinder Singh Chautala and Sarwan Singh Pandher -- for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 15 to discuss the farmers’ pending demands.
The meeting, as per the letter issued by the office of the Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, shall be held in the conference hall of the Vigyan Bhavan in the national capital, news agency ANI reported.
The meeting assumes significance as it comes days after the Congress party alleged the ruling dispensation is planning to bring back the now-repealed legislation.
With the Opposition launching a vitriolic attack on the Centre, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had earlier last month clarified his remark that the government has moved a “step back” and “will move forward again” while speaking about the farm laws.
Tomar categorically stated the Central government will not reintroduce the farm laws in an amended form.
“I did not say this…I had said that the government had made good (farm) laws. We took them back due to some reason. The government will continue to work for the welfare of the farmers,” he said.
The bill to repeal the three contentious farm laws was passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha without any discussion on the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament earlier on November 29 last year.
The protesting farmers called off their year-long protest earlier in December last year after the Central government sent them an official letter accepting most of their demands.
The farmers called off their protest after the ruling dispensation promised to form a committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and withdraw all cases registered against them with immediate effect.
The farmers were on a sit-in protest since November last year against the three farm laws.