Farmers Protest: Government May Offer Key Assurance On Prices In Talks With Farmers: 10 Points

Farmers' protest: The protest has entered the eighth day.

New Delhi: The government will meet farmers' representatives today in the second round of talks in a week as protests against the contentious new farm laws are intensifying by the day. Agitating farmers on Wednesday said today's talks will be the "last chance" to call an emergency session of parliament and recall the controversial legislations. The government, meanwhile, is weighing in on the possibility of giving a written assurance to farmers that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system will continue. The farmers are protesting against three laws that they fear will take away the MSP or their guaranteed minimum earnings and leave them open to manipulation by corporates. The protest - the biggest by farmers in years - has entered the eighth day with farmers threatening to block other roads in Delhi and "take more steps" if the centre fails to meet their demands. Ahead of the crucial meet, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will meet Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, sources said.

Here are the top 10 updates on farmers' protest:

Farmers are camped out at four busy border points of the national capital - Singhu, Noida, Ghazipur and Tikri - to press their demands, under heavy police deployment. Farmers protesting at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu, who have fever, will be given free Covid tests, the district magistrate of Haryana's Sonipat said."We will not leave till the government repeals the three farm laws. Only legalising MSP will not serve the purpose. We will give our demands again," a farmer leader told NDTV.
A key route in east Delhi, connecting the capital to Noida in Uttar Pradesh has been partially closed as farmers from different parts of Uttar Pradesh continued their sit-in at the Noida-Delhi border for the third straight day. The National Highway-24 (Delhi-Meerut Expressway) and National Highway-9 entry points to Delhi too have been closed. The DND flyway to Noida, however, is open.
Leaders of around 32 farmer groups met at one of the Delhi-Haryana borders on Wednesday. "We ask the government not to indulge in any divisive agendas with regard to the farmers' movement, which is united in its demand. This was clear from Tuesday's meeting," the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said.
Tuesday's meeting between farmer leaders and the centre fell through as the farmers' representatives turned down the centre's second pitch for a committee to discuss the farm laws.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and his cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal at his home on Wednesday to discuss Tuesday's meeting with the farmers.
In Maharashtra's Nashik, which is among India's most prominent onion markets, various farmer unions under the umbrella of All India Kisan Sabha have announced solidarity with the Delhi border protestors.
"December 3 is the last chance for the government to take a decision to repeal the laws, otherwise this movement will become huge and the government will fall," Pratibha Shinde of the Lok Sangharsh Morcha, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. She warned that today, farmers will burn effigies in every district of Maharashtra and on December 5 in Gujarat.
At least three deaths have been recorded during these protests and the farmers said it would be "inhuman" on the centre's part - given the cold weather - to drag this out any further.
Thousands of farmers, who have braved water cannons, tear gas and police barricades, began their protest last week against the farm laws, aimed at doing away with middlemen and allowing them to sell produce anywhere in the country. Farmers say the laws will deprive them of the minimum prices fixed by the government and leave them at the mercy of corporates.
India on Tuesday slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement on the farmers' protests, calling it "ill-informed" and "unwarranted". Mr Trudeau, the first world leader to comment on the farmers' agitation, had said "the situation is concerning". "Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest," he had said.