"Independent Persons" Should Have Been Appointed To Farm Laws Panel: Sharad Pawar

"Truly independent" persons should have been appointed on the committee formed by the Supreme Court to resolve the impasse over new farm laws, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday.

The top court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the new farm laws and set up a four-member committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmer unions agitating at Delhi borders.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Pawar, a former Union agriculture minister, said the agitating farmers do not have faith in the panel as these members were said to have supported the new farm laws of the Centre in the past.

"Hence, the farmers don't think anything will come out of discussions with the committee. And I agree with them. It would have been better if independent -- in a true sense independent -- persons had been appointed," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Pawar had welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to stay the implementation of the laws and set up a committee.

The committee comprised Bhupinder Singh Mann, National President of Bhartiya Kisan Union, All India Kisan Coordination Committee; Parmod Kumar Joshi, Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and Anil Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatana.

But on Thursday, Mr Mann said he was recusing himself from the panel "in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions among the farmer unions".