Peasant leaders on Friday called for protests against the three new agricultural laws to intensify and called for Bharat Bandh on December 8.
“Yesterday, we told the Government (at the meeting) that the agricultural laws should be repealed. We called for Bharat Bandh on December 8,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Lakhowal) general secretary Harvinder Singh Ladkhwal in Singhu. Border after a meeting.
“We need to move this protest forward. The government has to withdraw the agricultural laws,” said Hannan Mollah, Secretary General of All India Kisan Sabha, on the Singhu border.
“If the government does not accept our demands at tomorrow’s meeting, we will intensify our agitation against the new agricultural laws,” said another leader, Gurnam Singh Chadoni.
Farmer leaders have pledged to renew the MSP guarantee claim, repealing farm laws during Saturday’s scheduled meeting with the government.
Marathon talks between the government and agitated farmers’ unions on Thursday failed to end the standoff over new farm laws, as protesters refused to back down on their demands and another round of discussions will take place two days later in an attempt to forge a resolution.
The government side, led by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, assured the group of nearly 40 farmer leaders that all their valid concerns would be discussed and considered with an open mind, but the other side stuck to their demand to repeal the three “hastily” passed “farm laws, saying there were various loopholes and deficiencies.”
After the eight-hour meeting, Tomar said the government will consider all the issues on Friday and so will union leaders, before returning to the table on Saturday.
When asked if the government is ready to amend the three contentious laws, he said: “I am not a fortune teller. When we meet the next day, we hope to move towards a resolution.”
“There should be no question on anyone’s mind. Still, if farmers have any concerns on that front, we want to assure them that the new laws pose no threat to the MSP system,” he said.
Farmers protest against the Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act of 2020, the Farmers’ Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and the Agricultural Services Act of 2020 and the Essential Products Act (Amendment ) of 2020.
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