NEW DELHI: Rejecting the Center’s offer to hold talks once they move to the Burari field, the farmers protesting at the Delhi borders for four days against the new agricultural laws on Sunday said they will not accept any conditional dialogue and threatened to block the five entry points to the national capital. Meanwhile, those who had arrived at Nirankarai Samagam Ground in Burari also continued their protest throughout the day.
These are the key developments of the day:
Farmers refuse to budge, call center offer is ‘an insult’
A meeting of more than 30 farmer The groups were held to discuss Union Interior Minister Amit Shah’s offer for talks ahead of the December 3 scheduled date once they move to Burari in the city, but the thousands of protesters They refused to give in and prepared to spend another night in the cold at Singhu Tikri Border Points.
His representatives said that Shah’s condition to change the protest is not acceptable and stated that the Burari land is an “open jail”. “The condition set by Interior Minister Amit Shah is not acceptable to us. We will not hold conditional talks. We reject the government’s offer. The blockade will not end. We will block all five entry points to Delhi,” said Surjeet S Phul. Punjab president of Bhartiya Kisan Union told reporters. “The condition set for the talks is an insult to the farmers. We will never go to Burari. It is not a park but an open jail,” he added.
New Farm Laws Mitigating Farmers’ Problems: PM
Amid ongoing protests over new farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Sunday that these farm reforms have not only freed farmers from various shackles, but have also granted them new rights and opportunities.
In his monthly broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Modi said that “correct information, away from rumors and confusion of any kind” is a great strength for people in any field as he spoke about a couple of farmers involved in innovative practices in the field. “The demands, which were made by farmers for years and about which all the political parties had at some point made promises, have been met … These reforms have not only freed them from various shackles but have also given them new rights. and new These rights have begun to mitigate farmers’ problems in a very short period of time, “he said.
Farmer protests are not political: Amit Shah
Shah said today that the new laws are aimed at the welfare of farmers, calling the agitation by agricultural leaders apolitical.
“The new agricultural laws are aimed at the well-being of the farmers. After a long time, the farmer will come out of a closed system. Whoever wants to oppose it politically, let him do it. I have never said that the farmers’ protest is political and I would never say (that it’s political), “he said. His comments come after Haryana Prime Minister Manohar Khattar claimed that the agricultural protests were politically motivated.
Amarinder-Khattar dispute escalates
Punjab Prime Minister Amarinder Singh responded to his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar on allegations that he did not respond to repeated calls made on the issue of farmers, asking why the latter did not use official channels to Communicate with the.
The Punjab CM also destroyed the call records posted by Khattar, claiming to be proof of attempts made to contact him, as “total fraud”, thereby saying that Haryana’s prime minister has exposed his “deception” even more acutely.
Meanwhile, Khattar said he would hold his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh responsible if the gathering of farmers at the state’s borders with Delhi leads to a worsening of the Covid-19 situation in the state. “In view of the increase in coronavirus cases, we had decided to limit indoor gatherings to 100 and outdoor gatherings to 200 for all kinds of functions, including family, political and religious,” Khattar told reporters on Hisar on the sidelines. of an event. “he said.
Opposition leaders, perhaps supporting farmers
Congress said Sunday that the insistence on supporting the legislation shows the government is “drunk on power” and rigid even in reconsidering the laws.
The leader of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, attacked the government over the farmers’ protest, claiming that “the promise was to double the income of the farmers, the Modi government doubled the income, but that of Adani-Ambani“.
Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal called on the Center to hold talks immediately and unconditionally with farmers.
Former BJP ally Shiv Sena said that farmers protesting against the Center’s new agricultural laws are being treated as if they were “terrorists”, and it is sad that they are not allowed to enter Delhi. The government should view the farmers’ demands with sympathy, said Sena deputy Sanjay Raut.
Samajwadi Party Chairman Akhilesh Yadav claimed on Sunday that the BJP government does not care about farmers. “The government has no sympathy for farmers. They are only concerned with corporate houses and how to fill their coffers and hold state resources hostage,” Yadav said.
Several Haryana Khaps or caste councils have extended their support for the farmers’ ongoing protest and will march towards the national capital, said Sombir Sangwan, Dadri’s independent constituency of Haryana, who also heads the ‘Sangwan Khap’.
Hooda warns of a greater commotion
Congressional leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda criticized Khattar for his comments that farmers in the state had not participated in the uproar and warned that if farmers’ problems are not solved, a “bigger movement” will be launched.
On Saturday, Khattar alleged that some political parties and organizations are “sponsoring” the farmers’ protest against the Center’s new agricultural laws and claimed that farmers in Haryana have not participated in the uproar. Dismissing Khattar’s claim, Hooda said that Haryana farmers have been agitating against the three farm laws for many months and has repeatedly urged the government to withdraw these laws or introduce a new law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for the farmers.
Farmers dig in the long run
The protesting peasants have come prepared for a long journey with their vehicles loaded with rations, utensils, duvets and blankets for the cold and equipped with charging points even for their phones.
“In any situation, we will not cancel the protest until our demands are met,” said Brij Singh, one of the farmers on the Singhu border.
Gaurav Sharma, deputy police commissioner (Outer North), said they are allowing the passage of vehicles carrying food and other necessities for farmers.
Why are farmers protesting?
Farmers are protesting the Center’s three farm laws because they fear the legislation would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of large corporations. The Center has tried to assure farmers that the MSP will not be withdrawn and has invited leaders to speak in Delhi on December 3.
.
