Farmers’ protest: Narendra Singh Tomar met with farmers today to discuss farm laws
New Delhi:
The seven-hour meeting between the Center and farmers today failed to end the stalemate, and farmers’ representatives said that nothing less than the removal of contentious laws will satisfy them. Union agriculture minister Narendra Tomar, who led the negotiations, said the government “has no ego.” The next meeting will be held on Saturday. Farmers who warned that today’s meeting was the government’s “last chance” to repeal contentious laws had refused to accept food, equipment and even water from the government during the day. This was the fourth meeting since the protests began which ended in a stalemate. A section of peasant leaders spoke of boycotting more meetings.
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A farmer leader said the government had suggested an amendment to all three laws. “But farmers organizations unanimously told the Minister of Agriculture that the three laws should be repealed and meet their demand. The government assured that they can consider new laws on minimum price support,” said Balkaran Singh Brar, leader of All- Leader of India Kisan Sabha.
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“The government will consider granting more legal rights to farmers. MSP will continue, we have assured MSP farmers,” Union Minister Narendra Tomar said after the meeting. “It would be good if farmers could suspend the protest,” added the minister, who had conducted the negotiations together with his cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal and junior industry minister Som Parkash.
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The government will consider giving more legal rights to farmers. The Minimum Price of Sustenance will continue, we have assured the farmers, “added the minister. He also said that the government will consider the demand of the farmers to take their complaints to the courts and not to the Subdivisional Magistrate.
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“Discussions are over on our part. Our leaders have said that they will not attend any more meetings if the government does not come up with a solution today,” said Pratibha Shinde, a member of the AIKSCC (Kishan Sangharsh Coordination Committee for All India) and chairman of Lok Sangharsh Morcha, who represents farmers in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
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At today’s meeting, farmers’ representatives made a presentation on the shortcomings of the controversial new farm laws, after which the government gave its opinion. At the lunch break during the meeting, the farmers refused to be offered the food by the government. “They offered us food, we refused and we attached ourselves to our langar that we have brought,” said a peasant leader.
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Earlier today, Parkash Singh Badal, leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal and former chief minister of Punjab, returned his Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award, in protest against the government’s “betrayal of farmers”. Several athletes and artists will return their award on Saturday.
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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who met with Union Interior Minister Amit Shah prior to the farmers’ meeting, said he called on both sides to resolve the issue “as it affects the economy of my state. and the security of the nation. “
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The Delhi-Meerut Expressway was closed after it was clogged with tractors and trucks protesting against Punjab farmers. The Chilla border is also blocked for the passage from Noida to Delhi, although the other side remains open. National Highway-9, another entry point to Delhi, has been closed. However, the DND air route to Noida is open.
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Farmers camped out at four busy entry points into the national capital – Singhu, Noida, Ghazipur and Tikri – to pressure their demands. Uttar Pradesh farmers are holding a protest sit-in on the Noida-Delhi border for the third day in a row. In Singhu, the administration said farmers who have a fever will receive free Covid tests.
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Thousands of farmers, who have defied water cannons, tear gas and police barricades, began their protest last week against the agricultural laws, aimed at ending middlemen and allowing them to sell products anywhere in the country. Farmers say the laws will deprive them of minimum prices set by the government and leave them at the mercy of companies.
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