Indian farmers call off protests after government talks

Indian farmers, who have been protesting against the three farm laws on different borders of Delhi since November last year, announced that they are suspending their year-long agitation and would vacate the protest sites.

The announcement of vacating the protest site on December 11 came after the protesting farmers received a letter from the Central government, promising to form a committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and withdrawing cases against them immediately.

"As far as the matter of compensation is concerned, UP and Haryana have given in-principle consent," it read.

While addressing a press conference, farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni said, "We have decided to suspend our agitation. We will hold a review meeting on January 15. If the government does not fulfil its promises, we could resume our agitation."

"Protesting farmers will vacate the protest sites on December 11," another farmers' leader Darshan Pal Singh said.

On November 19, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre will bring necessary bills in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning this month to repeal the farm laws.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on the first day of the winter session on November 29. President Ram Nath Kovind has also given his consent to the Bill that completes the repeal of the three farm laws.

The SKM called off a planned tractor march to Parliament on November 29 and said it would wait until December 4 for the Union government to formally respond to its demands, which it had stated in an open letter to the Prime Minister.

(ANI)