Updated: December 11, 2020 6:00:45 pm
A child shouts slogans at the Singhu border during a farmers’ protest against the new agricultural laws in New Delhi on Thursday, December 10, 2020 (PTI Photo / Arun Sharma).
ONE DAY after the farmers’ representatives Government offer to amend its new agricultural laws In an attempt to resolve the two-week clash with protesters camped on the Delhi borders, the Center on Thursday issued a new call for farmers to end their agitation and join the next round of talks.
At a press conference, the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said: “Still, I would urge the unions to find a way through the discussions by withdrawing their next phase of agitation.”
The Tomar appeal came after the Center offered several concessions, including a written guarantee on the continuation of acquisitions based on minimum support price (MSP) and parity in transactions within and outside the Committee’s mandis. of the Agricultural Products Market (APMC).
Having rejected the proposals of the CenterAgricultural leaders reacted to the new appeal saying they will continue their protests over the repeal of the laws. “We are against the three laws. We will block the train tracks if the Prime Minister doesn’t listen to us, ”said Boota Singh, president of BKU (Dakaunda), who is part of the uproar.
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Tomar, however, said that “it is not appropriate to announce a new upheaval … when the discussion is ongoing.” “Several rounds of talks have taken place. During the discussions, the Government identified some points on which they (the agricultural unions) also agreed that these have emerged during the deliberations. We have given you the proposal in writing. If you think the proposal lacks some of your points, then you should argue. Even if they have any objections to the language of the proposal, they should discuss it. We are ready for discussions, ”Tomar said.
A farmer offers tea to security personnel at the Ghazipur border during the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march against the new agricultural laws, in New Delhi on Thursday, December 10, 2020. (PTI Photo / Ravi Choudhary)
“The Government has no ego… We are ready to discuss with an open mind. Whenever your proposal comes in, we will definitely have discussions, ”he said.
When asked about the lawsuits to repeal the laws, Tomar said that any law cannot be completely flawed. However, he said, the government is willing to discuss provisions that may adversely affect farmers.
The Minister of Consumption, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, who was present during the press conference, cited the BJP’s strong performance in local body elections in Congress-led Rajasthan this week to say that people have welcomed the new farm laws.
Haryana BKU President Gurnam Singh Chaduni on the Singhu border. (Photo Source: BKU)
Of the 636 zila parishad member seats in 21 districts of the state, the BJP won 353 and Congress 252. The BJP is also expected to claim zila pramukh seats in at least 13 districts where it has a clear majority, followed by Congress. in 5.
“The results of the Rajasthan elections, which are the most recent and have happened in recent days, are evidence of the fact that the people of India, the farmers of India continue to trust Prime Minister Modi, they continue to have faith in him. government of Prime Minister Modi, “Goyal said.
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The last five rounds of talks between the government and farmers have been inconclusive. The scheduled round of talks on December 9 was canceled after a meeting between the Union Interior Minister Amit Shah and representatives of the agricultural unions. It was then that the Center expanded its new set of proposals to resolve the crisis.
A farmer leader addresses other farmers on the Singhu border during their protest against the new agricultural laws, in New Delhi, Thursday, December 10, 2020 (PTI Photo / Arun Sharma).
Goyal also appealed to the farmers to end their agitation. “We believe that the farmers had certain problems. We respect the farmers who have come and discussed with us on several occasions. Problems that arose during the course of discussions, we have tried to address. If there are other issues that need to be discussed or need some clarification on our current proposal, we are ready to discuss, but if there is any other reason holding them back, we leave it to your wise advice to decide. Goyal said.
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