Farm laws: Modi to address farmers today; BJP sets up big screens, plans district-level programmes
Farmers are expected to meet today and discuss the government’s latest offer for negotiations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday address nine crore farmers as their protest against the agricultural laws entered its 30th day. The prime minister will release Rs 18,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-KISAN scheme. Big screens have been set up by the Bharatiya Janata Party at every block development centre and district-level programmes will be held an hour before Modi’s speech at 12 pm.
The Centre on Thursday again wrote to farmer groups, extending an invitation for talks and reiterated its commitment to a logical solution to all the concerns raised by them. However, farmers alleged that the latest offer of talks to end the deadlock is a propaganda against them to create an impression that they are not interested in negotiations.
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions, is likely to hold a meeting on Friday to discuss the government’s three-page letter and respond to it formally.
Live updates
11.41 am: Movement of vehicles along the Chilla and Ghazipur borders is closed for commuters coming from Noida and Ghaziabad, according to an advisory by the Delhi Traffic Police.
Traffic Alert
— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) December 25, 2020
The chilla,Gazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Gaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. People are advised to take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anad Vihar, DND, Apsara,bhopra& Loni borders.
11.38 am: The Centre says it is ready to reach a “logical resolution” with the farmers over the new agricultural laws, reports The Indian Express. In a letter to 40 representatives of farmer unions, Vivek Aggarwal, joint secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, urged them to decide the time and date for the next round of talks, and also “give details of other issues on which you want to negotiate”.
8.40 am: Seven US leaders, including Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, have asked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take up the farmers’ protest with his Indian counterpart, reports News18.
8.38 am: Thousands of farmers from western Uttar Pradesh gathered in Noida on Thursday to support the Centre’s farm laws, even as others continue their protest against it for over three weeks now.
“While a majority of us were prohibited entry into Delhi by the police, a 21-member delegation of the union went to the national capital and met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) convenor Thakur Gauri Shankar Singh tells PTI.
8.33 am: Students from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Punjab University, Jamia Millia Islamia, and Ambedkar University take part in the farmers protest at Delhi’s borders, reports the Hindustan Times. The students say that they’ve joined the agitation to be part of the “revolutionary movement”.
8.30 am: Amid the continuing standoff between farmers and the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today release Rs 18,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi or PM-KISAN scheme. Modi will address nine crore farmers and clarify the Centre’s position on the farm laws, reports NDTV.
For his address, big screens have been set up at every block development centre. Additionally, district-level programmes will be held an hour before Modi’s speech at 12 pm. BJP chief JP Nadda has directed Union ministers, MPs and MLAs to participate in the address, which will coincide with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, according to the television channel.
PM @narendramodi to release next instalment under #PMKisan on 25 December. https://t.co/0niHFqPjd3
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 24, 2020
via NaMo App pic.twitter.com/wumGlX7wFS