Farmers union leaders reach Vigyan Bhawan on Saturday afternoon.Farmers’ Protest Today Live Updates: Representatives of 35 farmers’ groups met three Union ministers on Saturday for the fifth round of talks amid the ongoing protests over the Centre’s new farm laws. Seeking to break the deadlock, the government told representatives of agitating farmers that they are ready to address all their concerns with an open mind, PTI reported citing its sources.
Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, an MP from Punjab, addressed the leaders in Punjabi and said the government understands the sentiments of Punjab. “We are ready to address all your concerns with an open mind,” said Parkash.
In his opening remarks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar again assured the farmers that the government is committed to talks and that it welcomes feedback on farm laws. The talks between the government and the protesting unions began around 2.30 pm and was also attended by Railway, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal.
Earlier today, a member of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said farmers would walk out of the meeting if the three farm laws were not withdrawn. Farmer leader Jagmohan Singh Patiala, speaking from Singhu border, said farmers from across the country had decided to attend the meeting as one. “It will be one stage, one morcha and one voice,” he said.
Ahead of the meeting with protesting farmers, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Narendra Singh Tomar visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi, news agency ANI reported. Hopeful of breaking the deadlock, sources said the government was willing to even give a written assurance to farmers on the continuance of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the manner of procurement to farmers.
“A written assurance on MSP and procurement is just short of putting it down in law,” a source told The Indian Express, indicating the distance the government was willing to walk to placate the farmers.
Seeking to break the deadlock over protests against new farm laws, the government on Saturday told representatives of agitating farmers that they are ready to address all their concerns with an open mind, PTI reported citing its sources.
Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, an MP from Punjab, addressed the leaders in Punjabi and said the government understands the sentiments of Punjab. "We are ready to address all your concerns with an open mind," a source quoted Parkash as telling the union leaders. The talks between the government and the protesting unions began around 2.30 pm and was also attended by Railway, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal.
The talks between the government and the protesting unions began at the Vigyan Bhawan here around 2.30 pm. Both the sides are currently discussing contentious issues like provision of dispute resolution and registration of traders in proposed private mandis under the new laws.
Fifth round of meeting between farmers' representatives and the Central government underway at Vigyan Bhawan. The farmers' representatives have asked the Central Govt to give a pointwise written reply of the last meeting, to which the govt has agreed.
People have a right to demonstrate peacefully and authorities need to let them do so, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said while speaking on the farmers' protests in India, PTI reported. "As to the question of India, what I would say to you is what I've said to others when raising these issues is that people have a right to demonstrate peacefully, and authorities need to let them do so," Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said on Friday. India has termed the remarks by foreign leaders on protests by farmers "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar reaches Vigyan Bhawan to hold talks with agitating farmers.
Representatives of farmers' unions have reached Vigyan Bhawan where they are scheduled to meet the Central ministers for discussion over the contentious farm laws. "We want to complete rollback of the laws. If the government doesn't accept our demand, we will continue our agitation" said Harjinder Singh Tanda, state chief of Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab.
Ahead of the fifth round of talks with Centre, the farmers at the Singhu border sent out a message that they will walk out of the meeting if they do not agree to scrap the farm laws. "If they agree, we will continue with further talks or will walk out of the meeting immediately. Hence, we are not expecting this meeting to last long," Jagmohan Singh Patiala, working committee member of All India Kisan Sangrash Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said Saturday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hailed the women farmers for their courage and determination. Taking to Twitter he wrote in Hindi, "The power and determination of women farmers taking part in the movement is also an aspect of feminism in India. They continue to bravely face the atrocities by the Modi government till the roll back of the farm laws. Salutations to all these sisters in the fight for their rights."
Farmer leaders leave from Singhu border for Vigyan Bhawan to hold third round of talks with the central government on the farm laws.
Minister of State, Agriculture, Kailash Choudhary claimed the Opposition parties are instigating the farmers to protest. "Farmers' doubts will be cleared in today’s meeting with Centre. In recent meetings, some issues were clarified. It's Opposition's politics, they're instigating the protest. The meeting will be fruitful and we expect farmers will roll back protest," he told ANI.
Farmers at Burari's Nirankari Samagam Ground said they will make the movement bigger.
DMK is organising a state-wide black-flag-protest in all the district headquarters in Tamil Nadu in support of the farmers who are demanding the withdrawal of three new agriculture laws.
A tractor with DJ system was spotted at Delhi Haryana border
Ahead of the fifth round of meeting with protesting farmers on Saturday, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Narendra Singh Tomar reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi, news agency ANI reported. Union Minister Piyush Goyal also reached PM's residence in New Delhi.
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Friday said the organisation will ask for permission from Delhi Police to allow farmers take a round of the city on their tractors so that they can visit popular spots like the Red Fort and the Rashtrapati Bhavan, news agemcy PTI reported. After visiting the historical places, the farmers would return to the Ghazipur border, BKU national president Rakesh Tikait told PTI, adding that there are many farmers amonng those protesting there, who have come to the NCR for the first time and they should be allowed to see the city.
Delhi minister Satyendar Jain on Friday visited the Singhu border, a site of the ongoing farmers' agitation, and said the AAP is available to serve the agriculturists at all times. 'The farmers are the backbone of our nation. If standing with the farmers is politics, then everyone should be involved in this revolution,' he said. 'Instructions have been issued to make more arrangements for fire and water proof tents,' Jain was quoted as saying in a statement. --PTI
Bihar's leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Friday expressed solidarity with the protesting farmers and backed the demand for written legal provision of MSP even as his party questioned the silence of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat – who is currently in the state – on the issue.
Tejashwi told reporters he would lead RJD's dharna at Patna's Gandhi Maidan to lend support to farmers on Saturday.
“The NDA government at the Centre has been taking anti-farmer decisions for the past six years. It got three farm Bills passed without taking farmers' associations into confidence... If the new farm laws are so good, why is not MSP being made essential,” he said. “In fact, entire mandi system would collapse with the new arrangement and only corporate houses would benefit from it. If one nation, one market is bring discussed, why is not one MSP being discussed?"
Farmers continue to hold a sit-in protest at Chilla border (Delhi-Noida Link Road) against the Centre's farm laws. A farmer says, "If anything concrete doesn't happen in today's meeting with the Central government then we will gherao the Parliament."
It was a crisis foretold. The farmer protests on the borders of Delhi and their discussions with the government at Vigyan Bhavan — another round of talks will be held Saturday — are a rerun of the concerns raised in Parliament this September over the three farm Bills, and suggestions which the government chose to ignore.
The Opposition had urged the government not to pass the Bills in a hurry, but to send them for Parliamentary scrutiny given the sweep, intent and implications. From MSP to mandi system, contract farming to dispute resolution mechanism, these concerns of the farmers had been flagged by MPs, even from parties such as AIADMK and BJD which are considered friendly to the government. Yet Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is now leading the talks with the farmers, told Lok Sabha on September 17: “I want to request the farmers not to get influenced by disinformation for political ends (rajnitik drishti se kiye gaye kisi bhi dushprachar se prabhavit na ho).”
Click here to what members said during the debates in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on September 17 and September 20.