Farmers’ representatives have rejected the Center’s second launch for a committee to discuss controversial farm laws, the protests of which are intensifying by the day. “Now is not the time for a committee,” the sources told farmers’ representatives at the meeting with three central ministers tonight. A second meeting will be held on December 3. More farmers from Punjab and perhaps Haryana are heading to the national capital, demanding that the laws be repealed. The farmers have said they will continue the protest if their demands are not accepted.
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Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar suggested forming a committee, asking farmers to write down the names of their representatives who would be part of it, the sources said. The committee, he said, should also have people from the government and agricultural experts to discuss agricultural laws.
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“We wanted a small group, but they (the farmers) said they would talk together. That doesn’t matter to us. We would like them to end the protest and come to dialogue. But this depends on the farmers,” said Agriculture Minister Narendra. Tomar said after the meeting. Tomar, his cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal and junior industry minister Som Parkash had met this afternoon with the team of 35 farmers.
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“We do not accept the government’s proposal to establish a special committee. We demand that the government cancel laws related to land reform. We are not going to back down even if the government uses force. Our protest will continue,” said Roop Singh. a leader of the key agricultural organization Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Grahan) told NDTV.
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The idea of establishing a Special Committee was also raised in the second round of the November 13 meeting. But many farmers union leaders strongly oppose this and demand a categorical guarantee that the three new laws will be repealed.
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“Tomorrow there will be an important meeting of the leaders of the peasant organization, in which today’s meeting with the government will be reviewed. Subsequently, talks will take place between the government and peasant organizations every day starting on December 3. decided that negotiations between the government and farmers’ organizations will continue until the stalemate and dispute is over, “Wark Singh, All India leader Kisan Sabha told NDTV.
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This morning, the Union Interior Minister Amit Shah met with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at the home of BJP chief JP Nadda. This was the third high-level meeting in the last 48 hours.
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Bhim’s army chief Chandrashekhar Azad today joined farmers who have been camping outside Delhi. “The Center tried to defame and stop the agitation of the peasants … Our mothers, children, the elderly were arrested with water cannons, barbed wire, tear gas projectiles … movement,” he said.
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In Haryana, Senior Vice Minister Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata party, which rules the state in alliance with the BJP, seemed uncomfortable with the crackdown on farmers. The government must “think big and find a solution to the demands of the farmers,” said his father Ajay Chautala, whose base of support for the party is mainly made up of farmers.
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A group of Punjab’s top athletes and coaches said they will return their awards and march to Delhi on December 5 in solidarity with farmers. “They have maintained a peaceful unrest for several months. But water cannons and tear gas projectiles were used against them,” said Olympic hockey player and Arjuna laureate Sajjan Singh Cheema.
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Thousands of farmers, who have defied water cannons, tear gas and police barricades, began their protest last week against agricultural laws, with the aim of ending middlemen and allowing them to sell products anywhere in the country. Farmers say the laws will deprive them of minimum prices set by the government and leave them at the mercy of companies.
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