NEW DELHI / BATHINDA: With the agricultural unions attached to your demand that new agricultural laws To be scrapped and insisting that they will continue with the December 8 “Bharat Bandh”, the Center said on Saturday that it would draft some concrete proposals and meet with the unions again one day after the strike across India.
Noting a tough stance, some agricultural leaders held up placards with “Yes or No” written on them in discussions with Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar and Minister of Rail and Consumer Affairs. Piyush Goyal. Tomar adopted a conciliatory note after the meeting, saying the government is committed to farmers and has increased the agricultural budget, as well as the MSP.
Farmers stage silent protest in the meeting
The Center’s strategy seemed to aim to present detailed arguments and ensure that the dialogue does not break down despite the lack of progress.
Farmer groups agreed to hold talks on December 9. As on previous occasions, the discussions dragged on during the day, and there came a time when there was an awkward silence until Tomar proposed the next date for the talks, saying there will be more consultations within the government. in the lawsuits. The flash point saw farmers remain silent and “reverse” their microphones as a form of Gandhian protest.
During the meeting, Tomar called on agricultural leaders to return the elderly and children from the protests as the winter deepens. But the elders camping on the Singhu and Tikri borders said they will return only after their demands are met. “We have faced harsh winters and hotter summers during agriculture and this winter is nothing compared to that,” Gurbaksh Singh, a 74-year-old man who has been protesting on the Singhu border, told TOI.
“Now that we are demanding the repeal of the laws, the government is talking about amendments. Before, they weren’t even prepared for that, but the time for amendments has passed, ”said BKU (Ugrahan) President Joginder Singh Ugrahan. Punjab Kisan Union President Ruldu Singh Mansa said: “The government may hold more meetings, but we are not going to settle for anything less than our ultimate goal.”
Before the meeting, Tomar, Interior Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Goyal participated in discussions with Prime Minister Modi. The various concessions offered by the Center in terms of equalization of taxes between APMC mandis and private commerce, securing higher courts of appeal for contract disputes and a written guarantee that the MSP system will not be dismantled have failed to move farmers. They insist that the laws be repealed, a requirement that the Center will not accept. In fact, government sources insisted that the new laws have begun to generate benefits for a large part of the farmers.
The farmers’ delegation expressed the need for a definitive answer, saying that they have nothing more to discuss now because they have already told the government what they wanted. At one point, they even threatened to walk out of the meeting if they didn’t get a response.
It is known that the government will try to send its proposal to the farmers’ unions in advance before the talks scheduled for December 9.
Referring to other apprehensions about the “mandi” regulated system under the new law, Tomar said, “They are not affected by the law either. In fact, the government is willing to do everything in its power to further strengthen the CMPA. APMC is a state issue ”
In addition to repealing farm laws, farmers are demanding a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP), withdrawal of the proposed electricity law (amendment), and maintaining the provision to penalize farmers for burning stubble outside the scope of the new ordinance on air quality management. in Delhi-NCR.
Some farmer leaders expressed their confidence. “It seems that the government will repeal the laws”, Hannan mollah, general secretary, All India Kisan Sabhahe told reporters after the meeting.
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