The government and representatives of 41 farmers’ unions today held the sixth round of discussions on the three agricultural laws at Vigyan Bhavan in the national capital. The meeting went on for almost five hours.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Tomar said that the talks were conducted in a cordial atmosphere and that a resolution of at least 50 percent was reached by mutual agreement on two of the four agenda items.
Tomar interacts with a farmer representative at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. (PTI)
Deepening the discussions, Tomar said the Center is ready to resolve issues related to the proposed electricity law and an ordinance on penal provisions for stubble burning.
Farmers wanted the government to keep them out of the preview of fines for burning stubble. They also wanted the removal of the electricity bill, claiming that it was against their interests.
The next round of discussions on the other two lawsuits related to the three laws and MSP will take place on January 4, Tomar said.
He praised the peasant leaders for maintaining peace and discipline during his protest, but urged them to return the elderly, women and children due to the extremely cold weather.
Tomar said union leaders continued to insist on repeal of the three farm laws, but the government tried to explain the benefits of the laws to them and sought to learn about the specific problems farmers face.
Tomar and senior ministers have ‘langar’ with farmer representatives during the meeting. (PTI)
After the meeting, agricultural leader Kalwant Singh Sandhu said Wednesday’s talks mainly focused on electricity and stubble burning, while the next meeting on January 4 would focus on the MSP guarantee and the three agricultural laws.
Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are camped on the borders of Delhi seeking the repeal of the three agricultural laws enacted in September by the Center. They have threatened to intensify their commotion in the coming days if their demands are not met.
Enacted in September, the three agricultural laws have been projected by the Center as major reforms in the agricultural sector that will eliminate intermediaries and allow farmers to sell their products anywhere in the country.
(With PTI inputs)
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