Issues related to stubble burning andelectricity were sorted in today's meeting. Two of our main issues still need to be resolved. We'll discuss topics related to MSP andrepealing of three Farm laws in the next meeting on 4th Jan.
Farmers' Protest Highlights: The 'Delhi Chalo' farmers' protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 35th day today. The Centre and the protesting farmer unions will resume stalled talks today with farmers sticking to their hardline position that the parleys will only be on the modalities of repealing the three new agri reform laws and giving a legal guarantee on the MSP among other issues. Ahead of the crucial sixth round of talks after a three-week hiatus, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources said they discussed and finalised the government's position for the meeting. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are staging a sit-in protest along Delhi borders. The protest started on November 26. The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system being retained. Multiple rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers’ union leaders have ended in a stalemate. Protesting farmers fear that the new laws will dismantle the MSP system and corporatise farming.
Issues related to stubble burning andelectricity were sorted in today's meeting. Two of our main issues still need to be resolved. We'll discuss topics related to MSP andrepealing of three Farm laws in the next meeting on 4th Jan.
Talks were positive today. Govt has been saying that we should end agitation andform a committee. But we didn't listen to them. We won't take back our movement. We won't form any committee. We'll discuss MSP in next meet.
The meeting between farmer leaders and Union government at Vigyan Bhawan concluded on December 30. The next meeting date has been set as January 4, 2021.
Farmers leaders have reportedly sought compensation for the families of the farmers who died during the protest.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday claimed that the ruling BJP's ground level workers also want withdrawal of three new farm laws as they feel they will not be able to face the people. Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against the three new laws.
In a tweet in Hindi, the SP chief said, The BJP government should not 'cheat' farmers of the entire country for the benefit of a few rich friends and in today's talks, withdraw the agriculture laws. The truth is that the ground level worker of the BJP also wants the same because he is not able garner the courage to go among the general people. Political leadership of India has never been so barren.
Hold direct talks with PM for successful outcome: Cong, SAD to farmers
The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress on Wednesday appealed to farmers protesting against the Centre's farm laws to hold direct talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, otherwise the dialogue will not yield any results.Commenting on farmer leaders' meeting with the Centre over the laws on Wednesday, former Union minister and Akali Dal's Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said they shouldn't fall into trap of extended meetings, which yield nothing.
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar too favoured direct talks with the PM, saying the involvement of the prime minister or Union home minister is a must for a successful dialogue. Our farmers are on the cusp of victory. I appeal to them to hold direct talks with the PM to get these agri laws repealed," Badal said in a tweet.
NCP supremo and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday accused the Centre of bulldozing three new farm laws without consulting states and asserted that agriculture cannot be run "sitting in Delhi" as it involves farmers toiling in distant villages. As farmers' protest on Delhi borders against these laws has entered its second month and five rounds of talks so far have failed to resolve the crisis, Pawar also raised questions about the composition of the three-member ministerial group negotiating with the unions, saying the ruling party should have put forward leaders with "in-depth" understanding of agriculture and farmers' issues. In an interview with PTI, the former union minister said the government needs to take the protests seriously and it was "unfair" on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to blame opposition parties for the agitation by farmers. (PTI)
The meeting between three union ministers and representatives of 41 farmer groups began at around 2.30 pm at Vigyan Bhawan. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is heading the government side, which also included Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab. The sixth round of talks between the two sides is being held after a huge gap. The fifth round of talks was held on December 5. The protesting farmer unions are sticking to their position that the discussions will only be on the modalities of repealing the three new agri laws and giving a legal guarantee on the MSP among other issues.
Falling market rates forcing farmers to sell crops below MSP: Union leaders
As farmers' protest against three new farm laws continues, union leaders on Wednesday said peasants in some parts of the country are being forced to sell crops including paddy below the Minimum Support Price as market rates have fallen and asserted that the agitation will continue till the government agrees to their demands. "After new farm laws were implemented in Uttar Pradesh, prices of crops have fallen by 50 per cent. Crops are being bought at below MSP. Paddy is being sold at Rs 800 per quintal. We will raise these issues in the meeting," Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said.
Before entering the venue of the sixth round of talks between farmer groups and the government, Tikait told reporters that farmers will continue their stir if the government does not agree to our demands."We will not leave Delhi till our demands are met. We will celebrate New year at borders" he said.
Punjab farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa came for the meeting carrying placards of media reports of fraudulent cases reported in Guna and Hosangabad after implementation of the new laws. "We don't have any new agenda. The government is maligning us by saying farmers are not coming for talks. So we gave December 29 date for talks. We have given them our clear agenda but the government is insisting that laws are beneficial for farmers," Sirsa said. (PTI)
The sixth round of talks between the protesting farmer unions and three Central ministers got underway here Wednesday afternoon to break the over one-month-long deadlock on the recentagrilaws.Union Agriculture MinisterNarendraSinghTomar, Railways, Commerce and Food MinisterPiyushGoyaland Minister of State for Commerce SomParkash, who is an MP from Punjab, are holding the talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions at heVigyan Bhawan.
The sixth round of talks between the two sides are being held after a considerable gap. The fifth round of talks was held on December 5.The protesting farmer unions are sticking to theirhardlineposition that the discussions will only be on the modalities of repealing the three newagrilaws and giving a legal guarantee on theMSPamong other issues.
Referring to farmers as 'backbone' of the country’s economy," defence minister Rajnath Singh onDecemberdisapproved of terms like "Naxals" and "Khalistanis" used for protesting farmers by many BJP leaders.“I have no information about such allegations. No one should use terms like these against farmers. We express our deepest respect towards our farmers. Our heads bow in respect towards our farmers. They are our 'annadatas' (food providers,” Singh said in an interview to news agency ANI.
The defence minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he were pained by farmers holding demonstrations and government was striving to increase the income of the farming community. He said that the farm laws have been made in the interest of farmers and the protesting farmers should see the implementation for two years.
Read:Farmers are nation's backbone, shouldn’t be called ‘Naxals', ‘Khalistanis’: Rajnath Singh
Farm leaders must be flexible for a friendly dialogue: MoS Kailash Chaudhary: Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare Kailash Chaudhary has appealed to farmers' organisations opposing the new agricultural laws to have a dialogue with the government in a cordial atmosphere by abandoning the condition of seeking a response in either 'yes' or 'no' during the next round of talks on Wednesday.The minister is a firm advocate of the new agricultural laws and says that these laws will bring in a major change in the lives of farmers. Chaudhary says the Modi government has enacted these laws for the betterment of farmers. (IANS)
Even as farmer leaders are scheduled to hold the sixth round of talks with the Centre in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, a farmer leader has emphasised that they are still demanding the repeal of the three central farm laws and a law on crop MSPs.Asked about the farmers' agenda for the latest round of talks, All India Kisan Sabha General Secretary Major Singh Punawal asserted that they would again ask about the process to repeal the three laws and to bring a law on the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
"Farmer leaders did not agree to discuss the proposals sent by the government earlier on because it talked about amendments to the new farm laws. But now, parleys will be held on the issues suggested by the farmers. We will like to talk on those issues only," Punawal added.
