Farmers accept govt proposal, to end protest today

New Delhi: Farmers who have spent the last 15 months protesting the farm laws and pushing for a legal guarantee for MSP, are on the brink of scaling down their agitation after accepting a second draft proposal from the Union government, which includes assurances on MSP and withdrawal of police cases.

"We have accepted the revised draft given by the Centre over our demands in regard to farmers agitation against three farm laws. We will hold a meeting again on Thursday, as soon as we receive a formal letter from the Centre. Protest is still underway," farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni said.

Thursday's meeting will be at 12 pm, when a final decision on reducing the intensity of protests - which could include the thousands of farmers camped out around Delhi going back home - will be taken. The stand-down comes after a stunning series of U-turns by the government - from repealing the farm laws to withdrawing police cases against the farmers and, crucially, offering a written guarantee to consider their long-standing demand to make MSP official.

Earlier in the day, a panel of five senior farmer leaders met in Delhi to discuss a fresh proposal offered by the government, which included assurances that police cases against thousands of farmers - in connection with the farm laws agitations and over stubble burning - will be immediately suspended.

The government sent one offer on Tuesday evening that included assurances of a committee being formed to examine the MSP demand, but that required the farmers to halt their protest before the police cases were dropped - something the farmers indicated they were reluctant to do.

On the question of the constitution of the MSP committee, the farmers have emphasised only members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (in addition to officials from the Centre, concerned states and agricultural experts) can be chosen. This is to counter the inclusion of those farmers who supported the farm laws.