Bogus & bucket of lies: Hanna Mollah, Yogendra Yadav debunk findings of SC appointed committee on farm laws

A day after, a member of the SC appointed committee on farm laws, Anil Ghanawat claimed that “over 85 percent farmers were in favor of the farm laws” repealed by the Modi government, two prominent farmers leaders debunked the claim.

While AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah called the report “a part of a lie campaign spearheaded by the Modi government”, Yogendra Yadav termed the report as “plain bogus”.

Talking to NH, Mollah said that

1) Ghanawat’s claims are based on fake data which he collected through online feedback

2) he (Ghanawat) has been campaigning for the corporatization of the agriculture sector for long.

“Naturally, he will speak in favor of the laws,” said Mollah.

Ghanwat, a member of the Shetkari Sanghtana – funded by Sharad Joshi in the 1970s to press for reform in the agriculture sector, released the report on Monday and reiterated his support for the farm laws.

Ghanawat who led pro-reform farmers agitations in the past said, “On March 19, 2021, we submitted the report to the Supreme Court. We wrote letters to the apex court three times requesting it to release the report. But we did not get any response…The report today... has no relevance now after the laws are already withdrawn.”

Reacting to it, Mollah called it “a bucket of lies” adding that Ghanawat works as “an agent of big corporations" . Questioning the authenticity of the report and credibility of Ghanawat as a farmer leader, Mollah added,“People do not recognise Shetkari Sanghtan as the farmers organisation because they never speak in favor of farmers but corporations."

Referring to the report published by NH on Monday, Mollah said that despite the laws stand repealed, the BJP government in Haryana has asked the FCI to store the wheat in silos made by Adani.

Mollah pointed out that all the members appointed by the Supreme Court on Farm Laws were in favor of farm laws since the beginning, barring BKU leader Bhupinder Singh Mann. Bhupinder Singh Mann, president of a faction of the Bhartiya Kisan Union later left the panel.

The SC had appointed a four-member committee in January 2021 which included Ashok Gulati and Pramod Joshi besides Anil Ghanawat and Mann. The committee had submitted its report to the apex court on March 19, 2021.

Echoing Mollah’s views, Yogendra Yadav took a jibe at Ghanawat, calling the report released by him as “plain bogus.”

In a point-wise rebuttal, Yogendra Yadav asked, “Have they met any protesting farmers?”

Pertinently, the SKM – an umbrella body of over 40 farmers' organisations – has boycotted the SC-appointed committee.

Asking how the Supreme Court appointed Committee can claim that “87% farmers orgs are happy with the laws”, Yadav added, “SCC got 19,027 responses to its online questionnaire; only 5,451 of these are farmers; 12,496 are non-farmers.

“Why have their responses been merged for analysis?” said Yadav adding that “It is embarrassing to see Professor Ashok Gulati and Joshi sign on such trashy stats”

It is worth recalling here that the Modi government had enacted the three laws – Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 – in November 2020 to bring reforms in the farm sector.

However, the enactment led to massive opposition from farmers, particularly in north India. Farmers sat on agitation for over a year, forcing the Modi government to repeal the laws in November 2021.