The fourth round of talks between representatives of protesting farmers and three Ministers, representing the government, is underway at the Vigyan Bhavan here with both the parties showing no signs of relenting from their respective positions.
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While the farmer leaders — predominantly from 30-odd farmer unions in Punjab apart from leaders of three national level organisations — want the government to scrap the three contentious farm laws in toto, the Ministers — including Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal –— have been arguing that there could be a clause-by-clause discussion on the laws.
In the third round of talks held on Tuesday, the Ministers suggested setting up a of five-member panel, with government officials and farmer leaders as members, but farmer representatives were adamant that the time for negotiations was over and the government should act now.
Over 3 lakh farmers, mainly from Punjab, and other States, , are camping outside the Capital demanding the repeal of the farm laws as well as withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020, which would curb freebies available to farmers on power consumed for farming, under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, consisting of farmer unions from Punjab, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangha.
Punjab farmer unions have been protesting against the laws for more than 2 months by blocking roads and rail lines in the State before moving to the Capital last week for a joint protest with other farmer organisations elsewhere in the country. The government held two rounds of talks with Punjab farmers in October and November, but could not amicably solve the problem.
AIKSCC, which represents around 250 farmer groups including some from Punjab, in a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday welcomed the government resolve to hold talks with the farmers and also its statement that it was committed to protect the interest of the farmers.
It said the understanding and demand of the farmer bodies across the table has been that these Acts and the proposed Electricity Bill 2020 harm the interests of farmers and promote control of big corporations, Indian and foreign, over agriculture and hence they have to be repealed immediately.