The four-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to listen to “the grievances of farmers relating to the farm laws and views of the government to make recommendations”, includes Anil Ghanwat, president of the Shetkari Sanghatana, a Maharashtra-based farmers’ union.
Sanghatana was founded by farmer leader Sharad Joshi and has historically supported the open market and regulation-free trade in agricultural commodities. So when most of the farmers’ organisations were opposing the farm laws, the Sanghatana had declared open support for it. Here’s all you need to know about the organisation and its president Anil Ghanwat.
In Support of Farm Laws
Ghanwat is a strong supporter of open-market policies in agriculture and often lends support to opinions that are against the popular flow of farmers’ movements. He supported the central government’s announcement of farm laws and even threatened to hit the streets if the laws were repealed. The 61-year-old said his decision was based on the ideological position taken by Sanghatana’d founder Sharad Joshi.
Why He Supports Farm Laws
Talking about his decision to support the three farm laws, Ghanwant had told The Indian Express that the laws crucial for the farmers’ financial freedom. The present system, he said, does not allow them to get better prices. “Just a handful of traders control the auctions. Now with the markets opening up, we hope newer traders will enter the trade. This will help fair competition,” he was quoted as saying in the report.
He also slammed the farmer unions of Punjab and Haryana and accused them of holding the other states to ransom with their protests against the laws.
The opposition to the new laws, he said, only came from the farmers in these two states. Citing the example of Maharashtra, Ghanwat has said this would allow non-mandi trade to grow, and thus help farmers to have a choice of markets.
Legal Consequences
As part of the three-member Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws, Ghanwant said he will decide on whether to release the panel’s report after analysing the legal consequences and claimed that the two other members have given him the freedom to take a call.
The panel, after studying the three farm laws and consultation with stakeholders, had submitted its report to the apex court on March 19. Since then, the report has not been made public despite Ghanwat having requested the Chief Justice of India in a letter dated September 1 to release the report in the public domain saying its “recommendations will pave the way to resolve the ongoing farmers’ agitation.”
Ghanwat said the committee met on Monday against the backdrop of the government deciding to repeal the three farm laws. “We discussed in detail whether to make the report public or not. The other two members gave me the freedom to take a call on this issue. I will decide after analysing the legal consequences, if any,” he said. The other two members of the committee are Ashok Gulati (agri economist and former chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices) and Pramod Kumar Joshi (agri economist and Director for South Asia at International Food Policy Research Institute).
‘Repeal a Very Unfortunate Decision’
He said unlike these two members who are academicians and professionals, he is a farmers’ leader. The panel’s report is in “favour” of the farming community and should be released in the public domain in the larger interest of the country’s agriculture sector and farmers’ welfare.
Expressing dismay over the government’s decision to repeal the farm laws, Ghanwat had last week said this decision “won’t end the agitation too. Because their demand to make minimum support price (MSP) legal will be there. And this decision won’t help the BJP politically either.” “This is a very unfortunate decision. Farmers were given some freedom, but now they will be exploited as they have been exploited since independence or since British rule,” he had said.
Stint With Sharad Joshi
Ghanwat is an agriculture graduate. According to a report in The Indian Express, he has been associated with the Sanghatana since the 1990s and used to accompany Joshi to the various movements and protests organised by him.
Asked about his decision to support the three farm laws, Ghanwant had told The Indian Express earlier that they were the first steps towards financial freedom for farmers.
The three central farm laws which will be repealed are: Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.
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