New Delhi: The fifth round of parleys between the government and farmer leaders remained inconclusive on Saturday with both sides adamant on their stand over the three contentious farm laws. The next meet is scheduled on December 9 with farmers giving a 'Bharat Bandh' call on December 8.
The government on Saturday proposed to hold another meeting on December 9 with representatives of protesting farmers, as their fifth round of talks ended in a deadlock with the farmers' group going on a 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) seeking a clear 'yes or no' answer to their demand of repealing three farm laws.
Sources said the government proposed another round of meeting on December 9 next week as it sought some time from the unions to present a concrete proposal after further consultations within the government.
Agriculture Ministry later tweeted that the fifth round of talks has ended.
Union leaders said they do not want anything less than the complete repeal of the laws, which they claim are the laws meant to end the mandi system and minimum support price procurement system to give for benefits of corporates.
Heated arguments and written placards in "Yes or No" were raised in the five-hour meeting that began at 2 p.m. at Vigyan Bhawan in Central Delhi. After multiple obstacles, the talks finally ended with no conclusion as the farmers stuck to their first and major demand to repeal the three farms laws enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
As the government could not put up a satisfactory solution to the demands of 40 farmer union leaders, who took part in the meeting, the delegation clearly communicated that the protest will continue if the government doesn't repeal the three laws which they said are "anti-farmer".
While the government was agreeable to amendments to The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, farmers were pushing for the scrapping of these laws.
Farmer leaders communicated that they will hold "Bharat Bandh" on December 8 as their demands haven't been met.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State Som Prakash and Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal are also present in the meeting, like in the previous rounds of talks on December 1 and 3 which were also remained inconclusive.
During the meeting, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also appealed to the union leaders to send back the elderly, women and children to their homes from the protest sites.
The farmers had put out a five-point charter of demands that include framing of a specific law on MSP, no punishment for stubble-burning, repeal of the three farm laws, settlement of objections about proposed Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2020 and written assurance on MSP.
The farmer union representatives in earlier talks had rejected the government's argument that the three farm laws were in the interest of farmers, saying the laws will only benefit big business and corporate houses.
Thousands of farmers are protesting on various borders of the national capital since November 26, seeking repeal of three farm laws enacted in September.
Thousands of protesters have blocked Delhi borders at five points connecting it to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
As their meeting with three union ministers, including Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Parkash, continued for more than four hours, farmer leaders told the government to reply in "black and white" that whether it will repeal the laws or not.
Gurlabh Singh Mahal, legal advisor to Punjab Kisan Union, said the farmer leaders wanted the government to answer in 'Yes or No' and decided to go on a 'maun vrat' after the government did not reply to their pinpointed demand.
Some farmer leaders present in the meeting were seen putting finger on their lips and holding a paper written 'Yes or No' on that.
During a break earlier in the day, the farmers' group decided to have their own food and tea, as they did on Thursday during the fourth round of talks.
(With inputs from IANS)
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