Farm laws protest: Centre to hold talks with farmer unions tomorrow
The government asked the farmers to discuss the new legislations with an ‘open mind and clear conscience’.
Leaders of farmer will meet Union ministers on December 30 to hold sixth round of talks over the new agricultural laws with the government, which has so far failed to mollify the protestors who say the market-oriented reforms threaten their livelihoods and pave the way for corporate exploitation.
Worried over farmers’ round-the-clock sit-ins, the Centre on Monday wrote to representatives of 40 farmer unions, urging them to engage with the government with an “open mind and clear conscience”.
Tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at Delhi’s borders for over a month, blocking highways in giant demonstrations against the new legislations. They fear the reforms will eventually dismantle regulated markets and stop the Centre from buying rice and wheat at guaranteed prices.
Live updates
11.18 am: The movement of traffic near the Delhi borders remained affected on Tuesday, as thousands of farmers choked highways with large demonstrations against the new laws, reports the Hindustan Times.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh says traffic moving from Delhi to Noida is smooth as usual at Chilla border, but the carriageway leading to the Capital remains blocked. Farmers also continue to block one carriageway on the Delhi-Meerut elevated expressway, while the other one for those exiting Delhi is open, he says. Singhu and Tikri borders, however, were completely blocked.
9.36 am: The Qadirabad village in Haryana called for a complete boycott of all leaders from state’s ruling coalition parties – the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Jannayak Janata Party – to mark their protest against the new agricultural laws, reports NDTV. The villagers said that anyone from the government who tries entering their settlement will be “welcomed with shoes, not garlands”.
A banner was also put up near the entrance of the village that read, “Only those who speak in farmers’ interest will be allowed to enter”.
9.35 am: Farmers demonstrating against the Centre’s new agricultural laws performed yoga on the Delhi-Noida Link Road at the Chilla border, reports PTI. The road remained closed for Noida to Delhi movement but was open for commuters travelling from Delhi to Noida, the police said.
9.32 am: As many as 1,500 mobile towers and telecom gear owned by Reliance Industry’s Jio were vandalised in Punjab allegedly by farmers protesting the new agricultural legislations, amid fear and resentment that the reforms will pave the way for corporate exploitation.
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Farm laws: Farmers allegedly damage 1,500 Jio mobile towers in Punjab