Farmer leader steps down from Supreme Court-appointed panel on farm laws

Farmer protests in Delhi. File Pic

Farmer leader Bhupinder Singh Mann, one of the four members on the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to talk with farmers on the three new central farm laws, has stepped down, the BKU said on Thursday.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) tweeted a letter by Mann and said: "Bhupinder Singh Mann, a former MP and BKU national President and All India Kisan Coordination Committee Chairman, has recused himself from the 4-member committee constituted by the Supreme Court."

Mann could not be reached for comments on the issue.

Mann said in the letter that he was thankful to the apex court for nominating him as one of the committee members to start a dialogue with the protesting farmers.

"As a farmer myself and a union leader, in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions among various farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as to not compromise the interests of the farmers of the country. I am recusing myself from the committee but I will always stand by my farmers and Punjab."

Other members on the committee set up on January 12 included agricultural experts Ashok Gulati, Dr Pramod Kumar Joshi, and Anil Dhanawat.

Mann's action comes in the wake of questions raised in certain quarters on the impartiality of the committee members, who were accused of supporting the farm laws earlier on.

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