Farmers have camped on the outskirts of Delhi since last week.
New Delhi:
Farmers protesting on the outskirts of Delhi against the center’s new farm laws have called for a nationwide lockdown on Tuesday, saying they will block all roads to the capital amid a clash with the government.
The farmers said they will also occupy all highway toll gates across the country and will not allow the government to collect tolls as part of the December 8 strike. “More people will join our movement,” said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, leader of one of the protest groups, at a press conference.
The farmer groups said that in their talks with the government they called for the withdrawal of the three laws that they say will leave them at the mercy of large corporations and overturn safeguards against being cheated.
Announcing the escalation of their protest, the farmers, who faced brutal police crackdown in Haryana last week before being allowed to hold a peaceful demonstration outside Delhi, said they will start burning effigies on Saturday.
“We see that the government accepts our demands on the minimum price of sustenance, electricity and penalties for stubble burning, but we will not stop until the laws are repealed,” Satnam Singh Ajnala, Jamhoori President Kisan Sabha told NDTV. , Punjab.
Earlier on Thursday, the fourth round of talks between the government and around 40 farmers’ unions failed to move forward, but a cabinet minister said discussions would continue on Saturday.
In the country’s biggest agricultural unrest in years, tens of thousands of growers are protesting outside Delhi against laws that seek to rid the sector of outdated procurement procedures and allow farmers to sell to institutional buyers and large international retailers.
Farmers, who form a powerful political electorate, fear that laws passed in September will cause the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.
Agriculture and Agricultural Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said Thursday’s talks, which lasted seven hours, were cordial and the government was understanding.
“We addressed the issues raised by them and we will meet again on the 5th,” Tomar told reporters.
He added that the government would continue with the guaranteed price system, but agricultural leaders have previously sought a written guarantee.
“The government proposed amendments to the laws, but the farmers’ unions still insisted on withdrawing these laws,” said Kavitha Kuruganti, leader of the Coordinating Committee of the All India Kisan Sangarsh farmers group.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has defended the new laws, saying they only give farmers an option to sell to private buyers.
(With inputs from agencies)
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