The next round of talks between the Central Government and farmer leaders to be held on January 15, 2021.
Farmers' Protest Highlights: The 'Delhi Chalo' farmers' protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 44th day today. 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. The seventh round of talks between the government and protesting farmers ended inconclusively on January 4 as unions stuck to their demand for a complete repeal of three farm laws they find pro-corporate, while the government wanted to discuss only "problematic" clauses or other alternatives to resolve the over one-month-long deadlock. The two sides are scheduled to meet again today.
The next round of talks between the Central Government and farmer leaders to be held on January 15, 2021.
Asserting that the new laws enacted by the Centre are in the interest of farmers, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhury said the legislations are just a beginning and added that the unions are agitating against the laws under the "influence of arhtiyas (commission agents)".
"Next, the Pesticide (Management) Bill and the Seed Bill will come. At that time too, farmers can be misguided," he said. Asked if the Centre would encourage religious leaders from Punjab to mediate between the government and the protesting farmers, Choudhury said, "We welcome everyone. We want a resolution. If they are ready to talk in that direction, we welcome them."
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Friday flayed the farm reform laws passed by the Centre, against which farmers are on the warpath in Delhi, saying it would undermine regulated markets and help the corporates. Khan read in full length the remarks against the farmlaws, against which the Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on December 31 demanding its immediate withdrawal.
Referring to the protest by farmers against the new laws, he said there has been an all-India strike of the workers, which is one of the largest of its kind against the new labour bills. "These agrarian laws will undermine regulated markets, result in the eventual demise of minimum support price and tilt the balance of bargaining power definitely in favour of corporate middle men," he Governor said adding that Kerala being a consumer state was also going to be adversely affected by the amendment of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and theresultant hoarding and profiteering.
Just before the meeting, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) member Kavitha Kuruganti said: "If no solution arrived in today's meeting, we will continue with our plan of tractor rally on January 26." "Our main demand is repeal of the laws. We will not accept any amendments. Government is taking it as a prestige issue and not taking back the laws. But this is a life and death question for all farmers. There is no change in our stand since beginning," she added.
The agitating farmers took out tractor rallies on Thursday to press their demand for a rollback of the laws, while the Centre asserted that it was ready to consider any proposal other than a repeal of the legislations.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah, just before the start of the eighth round of talks with protesting farmer unions on the three farm laws, sources said. The meeting continued for about an hour, they said, but what issues came up for discussion in the meeting could not be ascertained.
Tomar is leading the talks with the representatives of around 40 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan to resolve the over-one-month deadlock over the three farm laws. Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash are also part of the discussions from the government side.
Ahead of the eighth round of talks between the farmers and the government, the Congress leaders on Friday appealed to the people to speak up for the farmers. Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi, "Peaceful protest is a part of democracy, our farmer brothers and sisters who are protesting are getting support from the nation, you also raise your voice and join your voice with them so that the farm laws are scrapped."
We going for talks with the hope that there will be a resolution today.
The Minister yesterday categorically declared that repeal of farm laws not accepted. I don't know what will happen during the discussions today. Anyway, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
The government has said that it is ready to make amendments in the three laws, however, the farmers are adamant on repealing all the three.Punjab farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) General Secretary Harinder Singh, who was also present during the seventh round of talks, told IANS: "The demands of the farmers will remain the same today. We will urge the government to repeal the three farm laws. And then we will talk on the MSP issue."
Owing to the farmers' protest since late November last year, several routes connecting Delhi with its neighbouring states have been closed for traffic movement. According to Delhi Traffic Police, Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders were closed on Friday as well.
It advised commuters to take alternative routes via Lampur Safiabad, Palla and Singhu school toll tax borders.
Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba and GTK Road, the traffic police force said, asking commuters to avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road and NH-44. It said Chilla and Ghazipur borders were closed for traffic coming from Noida and Ghaziabad to Delhi, and advised people to take alternative routes via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra and Loni borders instead. The traffic police said Tikri and Dhansa borders were also closed for traffic movement.
Asolution will be found when clause by clause talks are held with farmers. Government is ready to make amendments in the laws. We are hopeful of resolution.
The eighth round of talks between protesting farmer unions and the government is scheduled to be held on Friday afternoon as both sides look for a resolution to the over one-month-long deadlock on the issue of the three new farm laws. Both sides have stuck to their respective positions, with agitating farmers taking out tractor rallies on Thursday to press their demand for rollback of the laws, and the Centre asserting it is ready to consider any proposal other than their repeal.
The last round of talks on January 4 failed to end the impasse and the farmers, adamant on their demand, have threatened to intensify the stir and enter Delhi on Republic Day if their demands are not met.
Read: 8th round of talks today, farmers threaten to intensify stir if laws not repealed
Aday before the government's eighth round of talks with protesting farm unions, SAD leader and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the Centre has lost the trust of the entire farming community and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should directly talk to agitating farmers. Expressing her anguish over the pain of farmers, Badal, leader of the ruling BJP's erstwhile ally, said, "It is strange that farmers are spending nights in open during the chilling winters and even then their demands are falling on deaf ears."
In an interview to PTI, Badal who resigned from Union Cabinet in September last year when the three farm bills were being passed in Lok Sabha, said what farmers have gone through in last six-seven weeks, is the same what she went through when she was a Union Minister. "...To avoid the situation which has arisen now and the protest, I kept pleading for months, whether it was in cabinet meetings or in direct meetings with top leaders of the central government that please listen to farmers before bringing these three bills as they are 'annadaatas' of the country, otherwise it would lead to agitations and protests. But my all pleas fell on to deaf ears," she said. (PTI)
