Farmers' Protest Highlights: The 'Delhi Chalo' farmers' protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 32nd 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. Yesterday, farmer unions accepted Centre's offer for talks to end the deadlock and proposed that the next meeting be held on December 29. The decision was taken at a meeting of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions.
|I challenge those from the Central government who know the most about the Farm Laws to debate with the farmer leaders in public. They say that farmers do not know enough, it will be proven who knows more: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal(ANI)
|Problems can only be resolved by talking, says UnionMoS, Agriculture & Farmers' WelfareKailashChaudhary. "I firmly believe talks scheduled on Dec 29 will resolve issues if they're conducted from farmers' perspective, not from perspective of politicians who're politicising the issue," he added. (With inputs from ANI)
Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Kailash Chaudhary to news agency ANI: “Problems can only be resolved by talking. I firmly believe talks scheduled on December 29 will resolve issues if they are conducted from farmers' perspective, not from perspective of politicians who are politicising the issue.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today assured farmers that the MSP for their agricultural produce and
mandis will continue and asserted that no one can take away land from farmers. “It's unfortunate that those who don't even know about farming, are misleading innocent farmers. This government never intended to stop, neither will it in future. Mandis will also be maintained. No ‘mai ka lal (mother's son)’ can take away land from farmers," news agency ANI quoted Singh as saying.Union Minister Smriti Irani to news agency ANI on Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's 'Gai Bachao, Kisan Bachao'yatra: “Those who captured lands of Uttar Pradesh farmers never returned it... Who got advertisements published after brutal killing of cows by their officials in Kerala? Do you think people will forgive them?"
Digital campaign against Centre's farmer policy got huge response: Trinamool Congress
The Trinamool Congress yesterday claimed that its digital media campaign against the Narendra Modi government's policy towards the farming community has got a huge response on Twitter.
The hashtag with which the party aims at highlighting "the rising crimes against farmers" of the country, has trended on Twitter, the TMC claimed in a statement. (Input from PTI)
Protesting farmers stay put at Delhi borders amid harsh winter
Thousands of farmers agitating against the three new central agriculture reform laws stayed put at their agitations venues near Delhi, which is going through a harsh spell of winter, unrelenting in their demand of withdrawal of the legislations. The farmers had reached Singhu border over a month ago. (Input from PTI)
Centre too arrogant to empathise with farmers' plight: Sachin Pilot
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot accused the union government of being too stubborn and arrogant to understand farmers' sufferings. Pilot hurled the allegations while demanding the repeal of the three recent farm reform laws against which farmers have been protesting for over a month now, camping at various border points of Delhi.
"Our annadatas have been struggling with determination on the path of truth and justice to protect their self-respect and rights. They have been facing the vicious cycle and atrocities of the central government for the last one month, but the BJP government in its stubbornness and arrogance is unable to understand the suffering of farmers," Pilot said in a tweet. (Input from PTI)
Traffic update from the Delhi Traffic Police: The Chilla and Gazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida and Gaziabad to Delhi because of farmers’ protest. Commuters have been advised to take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara, Bhopra and Loni borders.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan yesterday alleged that the Congress is spreading misinformation on the new agriculture reform laws and creating a sense of fear among farmers across the country while Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal is supporting such activities. Pradhan claimed that the new farm reform laws were aimed at making farmers self-reliant. (Input from PTI)
“By undertaking reforms, the PM has shown his intent to drive up the sector. Through empathy and consultation, the Modi government should now bring convergence with the stakeholders, particularly the state governments and farmers,” Shweta Saini, Senior Fellow (Visiting), ICRIER, wrote for Moneycontrol last week.
Read the full opinion piece here: The quest for a middle path amid farm protests
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the nation through his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme. The address will begin at 11.00 am. This will be the last edition of the radio speech of 2020. He is expected to touch upon the farmers’ protest against the three agricultural reform laws.
Follow LIVE updates of PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address here
