After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to repeal three farm laws, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday hinted that the State Government shall take steps to withdraw the FIRs registered against protesters during the year-long farmers’ agitation.

The Chief Minister while talking to the mediapersons here welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement and appealed to the farmers to call off their agitation and return to their native places. He also urged the farmers to lift the blockades from Delhi’s borders so that the common people do not face inconveniences any longer.

Responding to a question regarding the government’s intention to withdraw the FIRs registered against farmers during agitation in Haryana, the Chief Minister said, “When there is an amicable talk, such things are considered mutually. There are several types of cases… Cases which are registered under severe provisions of law, and many of them reach courts too, are withdrawn through the court’s procedure of law. But the government shall also make a constructive beginning in this and shall not allow the standoff to escalate any further.”

After the announcement of repealing of three farm laws, the opposition and farmers’ unions have demanded that all the criminal cases registered against farmers during the ongoing farmers’ agitation should be withdrawn.

Over 140 FIRs are registered against farmers across 22 districts. The protesting farmers in Haryana have been booked under sedition, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation, damage to public property among other related charges since the beginning of agitation against central farm laws during November last year. Two cases have been registered against protestors in which Section 124 A IPC (related to sedition) has been applied. In these two cases, three accused are mentioned by name while around 80-90 are unknown.

Gurnam Singh Chaduni, leader of Samyukt Kisan Morcha also demanded withdrawal of cases against thousands of farmers registered in Haryana during the agitation.

He said that the fight would continue to ensure MSP for the crops and the final decision will be taken after the core committee meetings on Saturday and Sunday. Till then, the protests will continue at borders and we will not leave the protest sites, he added.

Notably, the protesting farmers had been camping at three border points of Delhi – Singhu, Tikri (along Haryana), and Ghazipur (along Uttar Pradesh) demanding a repeal of the three farm laws enacted by the Central Government in September last year.

The farmers had also been holding protests against the leaders of BJP and its ally JJP across Haryana. Since November last year, the farmers have held strong protests against the Chief Minister

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, BJP state chief OP Dhankar, ruling MPs and MLAs following which cases have been registered against the protestors across Haryana.

ANALYSIS ON DEATHS DURING AGITATION TO BE DONE

Responding to the demand of the opposition to give compensation to the families of those farmers who died during the agitation, the Chief Minister said that an analysis of all such deaths shall be done and a decision shall be taken depending upon the reasons that led to such deaths.

It is not right to comment anything on a person who has lost his life, but definitely the reasons that resulted in that death shall be analysed, he said.

Apart from compensation for the families, the opposition parties—Congress and INLD—have also demanded the status of martyr for the farmers who died during the agitation.

When asked whether the decision to repeal laws have been taken keeping in view Assembly polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Khattar said that this decision has not been taken overnight. Talks over this have been going on for a long time and a lot of efforts have been put in for this. Linking this decision with elections is not logical and justified. In democracy, elections come every now and then, he said.

Reacting to the farmer leaders’ announcement that they would not relent till a law is framed on Minimum Support Price of crops, Khattar said that a committee will be constituted for considering the demands of the farmers related to MSP. In this committee representatives of farmer unions, state governments and scientists will also be included, he added.

He further said, “Several farmer leaders have welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision, while a few are talking about law on MSP. There were only three central legislations that were being opposed, which the PM has now announced that the Government shall repeal in the forthcoming session of Parliament. I believe that the Prime Minister has immense credibility not only in the country but globally and whatever he says, he does. Farmer leaders need not worry about that, the Chief Minister said.

On challenges being faced by the Haryana Government due to the year-long protest, the Chief Minister said Haryana has faced a major impact of this agitation during this one year.  I had discussed the issue of farmers’ agitation during all recent meetings with Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “I had also been in touch with several farmer leaders, but such discussions cannot be made public because they were taking place on an informal level. At a formal level too, there were 11 rounds of talks that took place between Union Ministers and farmer leaders,” he added.