Farmers protests: Khattar holds meeting with Tomar; Mayawati, Akhilesh attack Centre

NEW DELHI: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called on Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday and discussed about the farmers' protest against new farm laws that entered the 24th day.

The meeting comes a day after BJP leader and former Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh joined a protest in support of the farmers at Haryana's Rohtak.

The dharna was organised by the members of the Sir Chhotu Ram Manch.

Singh is the grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram, a prominent Jat leader of the pre-independence era who championed the interests of farmers.

This is the second time the Haryana chief minister met Tomar at his residence since the protests broke out, a state government official told PTI, adding that he had met the Union minister earlier on December 8.

The two leaders are believed to have discussed about the ongoing protest at Delhi's borders and the way forward to resolve the issue at the earliest, sources said.

Farmers from different parts of the country, including Haryana and Punjab, have been camping at various border points of Delhi for three weeks to demand a repeal of three recent farm laws.

They worry that these laws will eliminate the safety net of the minimum support price (MSP), do away with the "mandi" (wholesale market) system and leave them at the "mercy of big corporates", apprehensions the government has been insisting are misplaced.

The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party hit out at the BJP on Saturday over the farmers' protest against the agri-marketing laws.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav called the contentious laws a clamp for the farmers.

"The BJP didn't allow the farmers to have the slightest idea of the farm laws before making them. Now, they are pretending to make them understand the benefits of the legislations by holding farmers convention," Yadav said.

"The truth is the farmers will really benefit only after the implementation of the Swaminathan report," Yadav said.

"Only then, the farmers' income will double."

In a tweet on Saturday, BSP president Mayawati said: "The central government should adopt a sympathetic approach, and not be stubborn, while dealing with the protesting farmers and accept their demands.

"The BSP demands that the three new farm laws should be withdrawn," she added.