Farmers at Singhu border

Farmers Protest Today Live Updates: As thousands of farmers continued their protest at Delhi borders, the Centre has invited representatives of the protesting farmers for talks, three days ahead of the scheduled date of December 3. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the meeting has been preponed in view of “the cold and Covid”. Farmer leaders said they would consider the invitation “positively”, but would take a decision on attending only on Tuesday morning. On Sunday, the farmers had rejected the Centre’s proposal to hold talks as soon as the protesters move to a designated site in Burari on the outskirts of the capital.

The farmer unions emphasised that their demand for the repeal of the new farm laws was “non-negotiable”. Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to their “mann ki baat”, they said that besides the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, farmers from states like Madhya Pradesh and Kerala were also joining their protest. The farmers said the new laws would give “unregulated freedom to corporates”.

In other news, the Delhi government has notified one of the three farm laws that allows trade of food grains and poultry outside the premises of APMC mandis. CM Arvind Kejriwal has termed the legislations promulgated by the Centre “anti-farmer” and demanded their rollback. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly rioting, clashing with the police and violating the pandemic norms at the Singhu border on November 27. While no arrests have been made, police are going through video clips to identify the accused.

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Farmers Protest to New Delhi Live News Updates: The Centre has extended fresh proposal of holding talks; Opposing the Farm Bills 2020, farmers reject Home Minister Amit Shah's conditional offer for talks on Sunday; farmers refuse to refuse to hold protests at Burari; Tikri, Singhu borders shut for traffic movement; Follow the latest news and updates on 'Dilli Chalo' protest

08:22 (IST)01 Dec 2020

Centre invites farmers for talks, cite 'covid and cold'

With the farmers camping on highways outside Delhi refusing to back down or move to the site designated for the protest, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar met Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday morning.

The Ministry of Agriculture said in the late evening release that Tomar’s meeting with farmer leaders that had been originally scheduled for December 3 had been advanced to December 1 in view of “the cold and Covid”. All those farmer organisations who had been invited to the previous meeting had been invited to the one on Tuesday, to be held in Vigyan Bhavan at 3 pm, the release said.

07:53 (IST)01 Dec 2020

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Late on Monday evening, the Centre announced that it had invited representatives of the protesting farmers for talks on Tuesday afternoon. Farmer leaders said they would consider the invitation “positively”, but would take a decision on attending only on Tuesday morning.

Follow this space to track the latest development on 'Dilli Chalo' protests

An empty tent on Burari ground. Farmers have refused to move to the site allocated by govt. Amit Mehra

Hours earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that his government had no intention of deceiving the farmers, and that the new farm laws were meant to give them “new options and legal protection”.

The Prime Minister once again accused the Opposition of misleading the farmers.

At Singhu border near Haryana, Monday. Amit Mehra

“I know that decades of falsehood does create apprehensions in the minds of farmers… I want to say this from the bank of Mother Ganga — we are not working with the intention of deceiving. Our intentions are as holy as the water of the Ganga,” Modi said in Varanasi while inaugurating a project to six-lane the 73-km Varanasi-Prayagraj National Highway.

“Earlier, decisions of the government were opposed, now there is a new trend… Rumours have become the basis for opposition. Propaganda is spread that although the decision is right, it can lead to other consequences, about things that haven't happened or will never happen. It’s a game that is deliberately played by those who have fooled the farmers for decades,” Modi said.

He reiterated his commitment to the cause of the farmers, a constituency the BJP has been nurturing, and from whom it has received significant support in recent elections.

farmer protest, punjab farmer protest, delhi chalo protest, farmers protest in delhi, delhi farmers protest, punjab farmer protest live news, farmers protest in delhi, farmers protest in punjab, farmer protest in haryana, farmer protest today, farmer protest latest news, farmers protest, farmers protest today, farm bill, farm bill news, farm bill latest news, The farmer unions said the new laws would give “unregulated freedom to corporates”.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the Singhu border, representatives of farmer unions said they would continue to block Delhi's borders till their demand was met. “We know that November-December is a very important period for farmers. Many of us have left our farms to come here and protest. Our demands remain the same since the first day — the laws must be taken back. This is non-negotiable. This protest is by farmers, and it is above any religion. This is becoming a bigger movement and the government needs to listen," said Shiv Kumar, coordinator, Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh, who is representing farmers from Madhya Pradesh.

Security remains heightened at the Delhi-Haryana border at Tikri as farmers, who are opposing the three central farm laws, stayed put at the Delhi border points for the third consecutive day today. Thousands of farmers were allowed to enter the national capital on Friday evening after clashes with the police, who used tear gas, water cannons and lathis to block their march from Haryana.

New laws help farmers, say PM, Shah; key Ministers meet on way forward Farmer leaders hold a press conference at Singhu Border on Sunday. (Express Photo: Gajendra Yadav)

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Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: Farmers to decide on Centre’s offer for talks today