Satya Pal Malik is the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (File)
Concerns over a legal assurance for MSP (minimum support prices) are at the core of nearly 14 months of protests against the government's three farm laws, and that guarantee must be offered before the farmers will back down, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik told NDTV on Friday.
Over the past months Mr Malik has been vocal in his support for the protesting farmers; earlier today he also told NDTV the laws "should have been repealed a long time ago" and warned the government to continue engaging with the farmers to ensure an equitable and complete end to their stir.
"Of course, this is a politically wise decision. I thank the PM for taking this decision in a timely manner. But MSP is the basic issue and I am with farmers on this," the former J&K Governor told NDTV.
"Resolve the MSP issue according to the satisfaction of the farmers or they won't go away. They are not fully satisfied," Mr Malik said, referring to the government's stunning U-turn today on the farm laws.
"They are very intelligent people... farmers are not foolish. And unless MSP is resolved they won't go away," he said, reiterating what farmer unions said today in response to the Prime Minister saying his government would move to cancel the three laws when Parliament holds its winter session.
The MSP issue refers to demands the government-set price mechanism be given legal backing.
Under one of the three farm laws, crop prices were to be determined by market forces, which would include pre-agreed prices between farmers and agri-firms, exporters or large corporate buyers.
Farmers expressed concern this would lead to the scrapping of MSPs, which are crucial - particularly for small and marginal landholders - as a guaranteed income source during droughts or crop failures.
MSPs are critical in helping farmers weather the vagaries of farming - these risks include inclement weather, demand volatility, natural disasters, infestation by pests, etc.
In addition to the scrapping of the three farm laws, farmers had also demanded a legal guarantee that MSPs would continue - something the government countered with a written (non-binding) offer.
"My advice to the government is that this MSP problem must be resolved..." Mr Malik told NDTV, underlining comments from last month, when he said: "If the government provides MSP guarantee, then it (the farmers' agitation) can be resolved... They (the farmers) will not compromise."
Mr Malik also declined to comment on the electoral fallout of the Modi government's farm laws U-turn, saying: "I won't comment on the electoral gain or loss for BJP... but PM has done the right thing."
In March, Mr Malik told NDTV he expected a loss of support for the BJP in Haryana, UP and Rajasthan because of thousands of farmers who were (and still are) camped outside Delhi borders.
The government's decision to cancel the laws has been welcomed by farmers, activists and the opposition, but critics have pointed out the announcement comes just months before elections in several key states, including in the agricultural belt of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.