After a 14-month long protest, farmers start winding up from Singhu border

The farmers and farmer unions along the Singhu border near Delhi on Thursday were seen winding up, and are in the process of removing tents from protest sites after a 14-month long agitation against the government's now repealed three contentious farm laws.

The farmers' protest had started at the three Delhi border points - Ghazipur, Singhu, and Tikri - on November 26 last year. During the protest, farmer unions asked for a legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, among other demands.

A farmer at the border told news agency ANI, "We are preparing to leave for our homes, but the final decision will be taken by Samyukt Kisan Morcha."

Earlier today, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an aegis of farmer unions, has formed a consensus to accept the proposal sent by the central government seeking suspension of the farmers' agitation. A five-member committee of SKM held a meeting on Wednesday morning to take a decision on the proposal.

"We have accepted the revised draft given by the Centre over our demands in regard to farmers' agitation against three farm laws," said Gurnam Singh Charuni, chief of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Haryana. They are waiting for a formal communication signed on the Government's letterhead.

The Centre had, on Tuesday, sent a detailed draft to SKM's five-member committee after taking into account their feedback. 

On November 19 this year, in a special address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi announced that all three farm laws will be repealed in the Winter Session, adding that the legislatures were brought for the welfare of farmers, especially small farmers, but his government could not explain the benefits to some of them despite its efforts.

The repeal of these three legislations has been one of the key demands of around 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points since over a year.

The three laws are The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.