The protesting farmers have said they want the laws repealed. (Archive)
Highlight
- Forty agricultural unions will hold a meeting today at 2 pm
- The Center told farmers on Sunday to choose the next date for the talks.
- Today’s meeting comes after the prime minister attacked the opposition over farm laws
New Delhi:
Forty farm unions will hold a meeting today at 2 p.m. to chart their future course of action and make a decision on holding talks with the center as the stalemate on new farm laws continues. The turmoil near the borders of Delhi, which began in late November, has entered its 31st day. The new discussions among the farmers’ representatives come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his strongest attack to the opposition since the beginning of the protests, he emphasized that farmers’ lands will not be taken away, adding that “some people are spreading lies.” The Prime Minister also granted Rs 18 billion financial assistance under the PM-Kisan cash transfer scheme. Five rounds of talks between the protesters and the government have failed in recent months.
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On Friday, Prime Minister Modi accused the opposition of “spreading lies and rumors about the problems of farmers.” “Across the country, farmers have been supporting the new farm laws. Those with political motives … are firing the gun from the shoulders of farmers,” Prime Minister Modi said. He also targeted West Bengal Mamata Banerjee for blocking a core profit scheme.
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The Prime Minister, while reassuring farmers about the minimum support price (MSP) for their products, said: “I ask even those who oppose me today that my government is willing to talk to them about farmer issues. … I urge our farmers not to be fooled by anyone. ” The BJP ruling Friday’s outreach to more than 9 crore of farmers was the largest yet amid protests.
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Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged farmers to “allow the new laws to apply for a year or so,” adding that the government will be ready to amend them if they are not beneficial to farmers.
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A group of BJP leaders in Punjab’s Phagwara had to sneak out the back door under police protection on Friday after farmers protesting against the central government’s new farm laws picketed a hotel where they were holding an event. . A large number of farmers protesting near Delhi’s borders are from Punjab.
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On Thursday, leaders representing the 40 farmers’ unions said the government “does not take our demands seriously.” “The government should put the repeal of the laws on the agenda for a new dialogue,” Shiv Kumar Kakka, a senior farmer leader, was quoted as saying by the PTI news agency.
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On Sunday, the government had asked protesters to choose the date for the next round of talks after five rounds of discussions previously failed. Referring to the letter from the center, Shiv Kumar Kakka said: “The new letter is nothing more than propaganda against us … to give the impression that we are not interested in the talks.”
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Earlier this week, farmers began a relay hunger strike to add pressure as they continue to demand the repeal of the laws. A group of 11 fasts daily for 24 hours.
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Two protests across the country, a nationwide lockdown and an India-wide hunger strike, were called earlier as numbers spiked around Delhi’s borders, prompting roadblocks.
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Many opposition leaders, including former head of Congress Rahul Gandhi, have lent their voice to the farmers’ agitation, which turns out to be the largest in recent years. The 50-year-old leader met with President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday on the issue. “Prime Minister Modi is making money for crony capitalists. Anyone who tries to stand up to him will be called a terrorist, be it farmers, workers and even Mohan Bhagwat,” said the congressional leader.
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The senior ministers of Punjab, Delhi, Kerala and West Bengal have also expressed concern about the new laws.
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