Farmers' Protest News Highlights: 10th round of talks concluded, next meeting scheduled on 22 January

The 10th round of talks between the farmer and the government has concluded. The next meeting is scheduled for 22 January.

Farmer Union leaders considering the suggestion of suspending the laws for a year. A decision will be announcedsoon

State Congress chief DK Shivkumar & Siddaramaiah and other party leaders detained while marching towards Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru to protest against farm laws.

The 10th round of talks between agitating farmers and the government are currently underway. In the first half of the meeting, the farm leaders raised the issue of NIA notices being issued to various union leaders. The government sought the list of union leaders who have been served notice by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The issue of arrest of agitating farmers in Himachal Pradesh was also raised in the meeting accusing the government of trying to intimidate the protestors. The farmers were assured that the BJP government would punish no innocents.
The farmers also reportedly displayed placards in Punjabi translating to “same ministers, same tone and same rhetoric, will there be another meeting?” during the meeting. In the post-lunch session, the government repeated that it won’t repeal the laws and that the unions can approach the Supreme Court for the repeal of laws

According to one union leader, in the first session, the farm unions raised the issue of NIA notices being sent to those supporting the agitation and the arrests of protesting farmers in Haryana, accusing the government of trying to intimidate the protestors.

"Nearly 17-18 lakh farmers have sold their produce. BJP is protesting... those who don't believe in the system may protest or those who couldn't sell their produce. The ones who have sold paddy and received the money shouldn't protest ", said Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.

There might be another round of talks with the police officers tomorrow, a farmer leader, who attended the meeting told news agency PTI.

Farmer unions opposing the Centre's new agri laws today rejected a suggestion by police officers to hold their proposed January 26 tractor rally on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway instead of Delhi's busy Outer Ring Road, reported news agency PTI citing sources. Union leaders and officers of the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana police forces had met at the Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi to discuss the route and arrangements of the proposed rally on Republic Day. The sources said that the farmer leaders were suggested by the police officers to take out their rally on the KundliManesarPalwal (KMP) Expressway, but they did not agree. The Outer Ring Road passes through several areas of Delhi such as Vikaspuri, Janakpuri, Uttam Nagar, Burari Peeragarhi and Pitampura.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing today, the Centre withdrew its plea seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor rally on January 26 by farmers protesting against the new farm reformlaws after the top court said "it is a police matter". The police has the "authority" to deal with the issue pertaining to the proposed tractor march in Delhi on Republic Day, the bench said.

The Supreme Court today expressed strong displeasure over the aspersions cast by some farmers' unions on members of the court-appointed committee to resolve the impasse over new farm laws and said it has not given any adjudicating authority to the panel. Controversy had erupted after the apex court appointed the four-member committee as some of the members had earlier reportedly expressed their views and favoured the contentious farm laws, following which one of the members had recused himself.
On the issue pertaining to the committee, a bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said it had appointed experts in the panel as the judges are not experts on the subject.
"Where is the question of bias in this? We have not given adjudicating powers to the committee. You don't want to appear is understandable, but casting aspersions on someone because he expressed his view is not done. You don't need to brand anybody like this," said the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

A farmer who allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at the Tikri border died during treatment at a hospital in Delhi today, police said. The deceased has been identified as Jai Bhagwan Rana (42), a resident of Pakasma village in Rohtak district of Haryana. He had consumed Sulphas tablets at the farmers' protest site at Tikri yesterday, they said.

|A large number of Congress workers and farmers havedescended on the city to protest the contentious farm laws of the Centre and condemn the hike in fuel prices.