Peasant leaders held a short silent protest using ‘Yes / No’ signs to communicate
New Delhi:
With signs of “Yes” and “No”, angry farmers quietly protested at the meeting with the government on the new farm laws. The central problem for farmers has been the elimination of the three laws, which, even after five rounds of talks, did not work.
Four hours after today’s meeting, farmer representatives held a short silent protest, refusing to speak and only using the ‘Yes / No’ signs to communicate with the center panel, which included Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. There has been growing discontent over talks among farmers insisting that the new laws be repealed even as the center said a new proposal would be presented to them after discussions within the government.
Farmers agreed to a sixth round of talks scheduled for Wednesday. 40 representatives from various farmers’ organizations attended today’s talks in Vigyan Bhawan.
Peasant leaders even brought their own food, for the second time this week, and refused to eat the lunch provided by the government. They also brought their own tea and water from their langar on the Singhu border, one of the protest sites.
However, angry farmers have said that on Tuesday they will block all roads to Delhi and roads across the country to increase pressure on the government. Thousands of farmers have been camping around the capital for more than a week in protest against new laws challenging barricades, water cannons and tear gas.
Sources have said the government is firm in backing the laws. But they are considering other possibilities that would help farmers participate. These could include a written guarantee on the continuity of the Minimum Sustenance Price, the biggest concern of farmers.
Today’s talks, the third this week, began after a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior cabinet ministers, including Interior Minister Amit Shah. Sources said that Prime Minister Modi, who defended his government’s laws at a public event in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, was briefed on the protest and the status of negotiations.
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