Thousands of farmers have been protesting near Delhi’s borders since last week.
New Delhi:
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will hold talks today with protesting farmers in and around Delhi since last week, the sources said, adding that he will meet with Interior Minister Amit Shah and Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, at the home of BJP chief JP Nadda this morning before the discussions. This is the second meeting between top BJP leaders in less than 48 hours amid massive protests against controversial farm laws. The Interior Minister canceled his visit to the Border Lifting Day event this morning. “An important meeting has emerged,” government sources said. The government will try today to assure farmers about the new agricultural laws, according to sources, and dispel rumors about the minimum support price for their products. Laws will not be repealed, protesters will likely be told.
Here are 10 developments in this great story:
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Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday invited farmers to talk today, two days before the scheduled meeting, as he cited the coronavirus and the cold. “On November 13, we had decided that we would meet on December 3, but farmers are in the mood to protest. It is cold and there is coronavirus. Therefore, we invited farmers to Vigyan Bhawan (in Delhi) on December 1 at 3 pm. We ask you to leave the protest and seek a solution through discussion, “he said last night. Tomar this morning will meet with Interior Minister Amit Shah for the third time in less than 48 hours after farmers threatened to block five entry points to Delhi.
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This morning, farmers said they will not attend the talks if the 500 organizations that are part of the protests are not invited to the talks. “There are more than 500 farmer groups in the country, but the government has invited only 32 groups for today’s talks. We will not go to the talks until all groups are convened,” said Sukhvinder S Sabhran, deputy secretary of the Punjab Kisan Sangarsh Committee. , was quoted by the ANI news agency.
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Prime Minister Narendra defended the agricultural laws on Monday again when he said: “The new laws do not stop the old system. If someone thinks the old system is better, how does this law stop someone?” He assured farmers that the new open market system will not spell the end of traditional mandi and the minimum support prices set by the government. The prime minister on Sunday in a monthly radio address, Mann Ki Baat, had said the center’s new laws have “opened up more opportunities” for farmers and met their long-pending demands.
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On Sunday, farmers had said they would block five entry points to Delhi: Sonipat, Rohtak, Jaipur, Ghaziabad-Hapur and Mathura. The protest, which has been planned for more than two months, has the support of around 3 lakh farmers, it has been claimed. “We have a one-point demand: repeal the three new agricultural laws. That is the only discussion we want. The center tries to divert our attention with a small talk, hence the resistance,” said Hannan Mollah, one of the leaders, to NDTV.
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As farmers continue to camp around Delhi’s borders, key roads near neighboring Haryana remain closed. Delhi police have told travelers to take alternate routes while the Sighu border and the Tikri border remain closed.
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All the inhabitants of Haryana have unanimously decided to support the farmers’ protest and will head to Delhi today. “We ask the center to reconsider the agricultural laws. Everyone has the right to express themselves,” said Sombir Sangwan, Haryana Khap Pradhan and Dadri MLA, according to the ANI news agency.
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On Saturday, Amit Shah had said that the government was ready to deliberate on “all the problems and demands” of the protesters. However, the interior minister had said that the protest will have to move to a designated location for the first talks with the government. When the farmers rejected the offer, top BJP leaders held an evening meeting at JP Nadda’s home on Sunday to discuss the protests, the sources said.
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The Delhi police have brought a case about the clash at the Singhu border in Delhi, including riots and damage to government property. The case was filed at the Alipur Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including obstruction of public officials in the performance of their duties.
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One of the protesters died Sunday night after suffering a heart attack, the second since the farmers’ march to Delhi began last week. Gajjan Singh from Khattra, a village in the Ludhiana district of Punjab, died on the Tikri border. The day before, another volunteer who had come to help farmers with vehicle repair had died; he was burned alive when his car caught fire overnight in his sleep.
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Thousands of farmers, who have defied water cannons, tear gas and police barricades, began their protest last week against the new farm laws, aimed at introducing reforms by cutting out middlemen and improving farmers’ profits by allow them to sell products anywhere in the country. country. Farmers and opposition parties argue that the laws will deprive farmers of a guaranteed minimum price for their produce and leave them at the mercy of companies. Former head of Congress Rahul Gandhi, BSP Mayawati head Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party have all tweeted in support of farmers.
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