Updated: December 1, 2020 10:11:37 pm
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar during a meeting with leaders of various farmers’ organizations on the new agricultural laws, in New Delhi. (PTI photo)
A marathon meeting between the Center and farmers’ unions remained unfinished Tuesday despite protests by various farmer groups against the contentious farm laws entered its sixth day in and around the national capital. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said another round of talks would take place on December 3 after farmers’ unions rejected the government’s proposal to establish a committee to examine the issues raised by them.
During the three-hour meeting held at Vigyan Bhawan, 35 representatives of agitating farmers pressed their demands for the repeal of three agricultural laws and the withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 to the ministerial delegation that included Tomar, Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash.
After the meeting, Tomar said the discussion with the agricultural leaders was good. “We had a detailed discussion. We will meet again on December 3. We suggested that they form a small committee, but they said that everyone will be present at the meeting. So we agreed to that, ”Tomar told PTI after the meeting.
The Farmers Union delegation greets their arrival for a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi recently. (Express Photography by Tashi Tobgyal)
However, Roopsingh Sanha, a member of the Bharat Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), said that peasant leaders told the government that such committees had produced neither results nor results in the past. “Farmers organizations rejected the government’s proposal to form a five-member committee to investigate issues related to the new agricultural laws,” Sanha told PTI.
The government has asked farmers’ bodies to identify specific issues related to the three new farm laws and submit them by Wednesday for consideration and discussion at the next round of talks on Thursday, according to an official statement.
the farmers have expressed apprehension that the Center’s agricultural laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system (MSP), leaving them at the “mercy” of the big corporations. The government, on the other hand, has argued that the new laws would allow farmers to regulate the price of their products, pulling them out of the clutches of middlemen and APMC and introducing new technologies in agriculture.
An earlier meeting, on November 13, had made no progress. The next meeting was scheduled for December 3, but had to be anticipated due to ongoing protests on the Delhi borders.
Farmers too rejected the call for talks made by Interior Minister Amit Shah on November 28, where he had urged them to move their place of protest from Jantar Mantar to Burari District on the outskirts of Delhi.
Must read | Taking Advantage of the Blockade, Ensuring the Center Can’t Ignore: Why Farmers Rejected Burari
Canadian PM Supports Farmers; India replica
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau extended his support to farmers on Tuesday who have been protesting against the three agricultural laws, pointing out that the situation is “worrying”.
Speaking on the occasion of Gurupurab to his Canadian-Punjabi constituents, Trudeau said: “I would be remiss if I did not start by acknowledging the news from India about the farmers’ protest. The situation is worrying. We are all very concerned about family and friends. We know it is a reality for many of you. Let me remind you that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protesters. We believe in the dialogue process. We have communicated with the Indian authorities through multiple means to highlight our concerns. This is a time for all of us to come together. “
India reacted strongly, calling the statements by Canadian leaders “misinformed” and “unjustified”. The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We have seen some misinformed comments from Canadian leaders related to farmers in India. Such comments are unjustified, especially when they concern the internal affairs of a democratic country. It is also better that diplomatic talks are not misrepresented for political purposes. “
Farmers on the Singhu Border
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also objected to Trudeau’s comment, telling him not to play politics using “India’s internal problem as fodder.” “Dear @JustinTrudeau, touched by your concern, but the internal issue of India is not grass of the politics of other nations. Please respect the courtesies we always provide to other nations. Ask Prime Minister @narendramodi ji to resolve this impasse before other countries deem it okay to have a say, ”Rajya Sabha member Chaturvedi tweeted.
Delhi-Noida border blocked
Meanwhile, the peaceful sit-ins of the farmers continued at Singhu and borders of Tikri. While no adverse incidents were reported throughout the day, protesters gathered in large numbers at the Delhi-Noida border, blocking roads leading to traffic jams.
Farmers blocked the border between Noida and Delhi, causing a huge traffic jam on Tuesday. (Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
Farmers barricaded themselves on the Chilla border, where police have been deployed in large numbers on both the Delhi and Noida sides. In view of the road closure, the traffic police have advised travelers to take alternative routes.
Read also | Diljit Dosanjh, Ammy Virk and others stand in solidarity with protesting farmers
“The Chilla border linking Delhi to UP through Noida has been closed. Those drivers who want to go to Noida can make a U-turn from under the Ghazipur-Akshardham overpass and also through Sarai Kale Khan, ”the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.
Shaheen Bagh dadi stopped along the way to join the protests
82-year-old Bilkis Bano, popularly known as Shaheen Bagh’s Dadi, returns after he was refused to join farmers protesting on the Singhu border over the Center’s farm reform laws on Tuesday. (PTI)
Bilkis Dadi, the octogenarian who appeared in Time magazine for being the face of the anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh earlier this year, was detained by Delhi police personnel when he tried to join the protesting farmers in Singhu Border. Bilkis, popularly known as Shaheen Bagh Dadi, had expressed her willingness to join the farmers’ protest on the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu.
Deputy Police Commissioner (Outer North) Gaurav Sharma said: “She is an elderly person and due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we stopped her at the Singhu border and asked her to return for her own safety and improvement.”
“To avoid any inconvenience for her, she was escorted by the police team to her home in southeast Delhi,” the PTI quoted him as saying.
Bhim’s army chief joins protesting farmers
The head of the Bhim army, Chandrashekhar Azad.
Bhim’s army chief Chandrashekar Azad joined the protesting farmers on the Delhi-Ghazipur border along with hundreds of his supporters. The Dalit leader, who is also the leader of the Azad Samaj Party, said: “Farmers have been fighting for their rights in this cold. These laws should be withdrawn immediately. “
Explanation of the farmers’ protest: What are your biggest concerns, what can the government negotiate?
“We extend all our support to our farmers. We are with them in this fight ”, quoted the PTI.
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