New Delhi: Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said the government has no data on cases against farmers or deaths of farmers during the year-long agitation demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws and hence there was no question of providing financial assistance to anyone.
Tomar was replying to questions on 'Agitation of Farm Laws' raised by a bunch of MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The MPs had sought to know the number of cases registered against farmers in connection with the agitation; the data on the number of farmers who died during the agitation held in and around the National Capital; and whether the government proposes to provide financial assistance to the kin of farmers who died during the said agitation.
To this, the Minister's curt reply was that it has no record on the matter and hence the question of providing financial assistance does not arise.
In earlier part of this unstarred question, the reply had detailed how the government had held 11 rounds of discussions with the farm leaders to dissolve the situation and also listed a number of steps that it has taken to the question about "whether the Government proposes to protect farmers' interests and implement support price for agricultural produce."
Although the farm laws have been officially repealed, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is firm on its stance that the farmers' protests will go on till the government addressed their demand for a legal guarantee on MSP and other issues related to the agrarian distress.
This includes no changes in the subsidy of electricity, withdrawal of cases against protesting farmers, compensation to grieving families whose members died during the protest, and also a resolution on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence with the sacking and arrest of MoS Ajay Mishra.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha that has spearheaded the agitation has claimed that about 700 farmers have lost their lives during the agitation since last year.