“The government has been constantly trying to discuss all the concerns of farmers with an open mind. In addition to discussing these issues with protesting farmers’ unions, the Center has also kept its doors open to discuss the issues. agricultural laws) with other farmers’ organizations as well … The government has also been trying to speak individually with representatives of protesting farmers, ”said Vivek Aggarwal, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, in his letter to farmer leader Darshan Pal of the ‘Sanyukta Kisan Morcha’.
The assistant secretary’s letter was in response to the email Pal sent him on December 16. Pal had informed him of the unions’ decision, rejecting the Center’s Dec. 9 proposals to amend farm laws and clarify certain provisions. Pal had also asked the Center not to defame the farmers ‘movement and “stop having parallel talks” with other farmers’ organizations (those that are not involved in protesting against the farm laws).
In response to Pal, Aggarwal said in her letter Sunday: “It is unclear from your email whether it was your individual opinion or it was the consensus decision of all unions. Furthermore, it is not clear why the government’s proposal (of December 9) was rejected ”.
Aggarwal’s letter, addressed to Pal and marked to the leaders of 39 other unions that participated in the talks, mentioned everything the government had proposed to improvise the central agricultural laws by amending one clause and clarifying others on December 9. . However, the unions rejected it, causing the talks to break down after five rounds.
The Center’s new proposal on Sunday came even as farmers’ unions announced the future course of the protests through various actions, including holding a relief hunger strike at the protest sites starting Monday and making All toll plazas in Haryana are free for three days, December 25-27. .
In addition, they also called on indigenous residents abroad to defend the cause of farmers as a show of solidarity on weekends and exhorted the general public to express their support by hitting the utensils in their homes, coinciding with the Next monthly installment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address, December 27.
Slightly deviating from what farmers’ unions had maintained by staying away from political parties for the past 25 days, on Sunday they announced a kind of political outreach program where farmers would go with a message to NDA partners, either in the state or in the Center, asking to force the government to withdraw the central agricultural laws.
“Farmers would approach the NDA partners asking them to force the government to withdraw the farm laws. After all, they are the shareholders of the government. If they disagree with us, we will also boycott them, ”said farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewala, while addressing a joint press conference with Darshan Pal, Yogendra Yadav and others on the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border.
Although the leaders did not go into details, the farmers’ representatives hinted that the message was primarily for the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is in alliance with the BJP in the Haryana government led by ML Khattar.
As Haryana has also faced the heat of farmer protests in the past three weeks, Khattar met with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday and discussed with him how to end the current stalemate.
Farmers’ representatives alleged on Sunday that the government was involved in harassing farmers and the ‘arhtiyas’ commission agents to weaken the movement.
“We condemn the government’s witch hunt against farmers and demand that it be stopped. Commission agents are being mugged by income tax officials. We believe that they are being harassed because they are supporting protesting farmers with food and other items, ”said Farmer Leader Darshan Pal from the Krantikari Kisan Union.
Speaking about the plan for the relief hunger strike, Yogendra Yadav of Jai Kisan Andolan, a member of the coordinating body of the farmers unions AIKSCC, said that the farmers would start the relief hunger strike at all the protest sites around Delhi , as well as in other states like Telangana and Uttar Pradesh with a team of 11 members fasting daily.
Farmers unions also called for a boycott of Adani Group’s Fortune brand products.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib here on Sunday, peasant leaders said they hope common sense will prevail over him to withdraw the agricultural laws after this visit.
Union leader Bhartiya Kisan (Tikait) Rakesh Tikait during the press conference appealed to people to show solidarity with farmers protesting on the occasion of ‘Kisan diwas‘December 23th. “I urge people to skip a meal that day as a show of support for ‘Annadata’ (farmers),” he said.
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