Farmers sit at the back of their tractor trolley as they continue to block a highway at the Delhi- Haryana border at the outskirts of New Delhi. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: The seventh round of meeting between representatives of protesting farmers and the Central government failed to resolve the impasse against the three farm laws. The government remained firm on not repealing the contentious laws and is believed to have suggested a panel to take the matter forward, PTI reported. The farmer groups also stuck to their demand for the repeal of the Acts.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, who is participating in the meeting, told PTI over the phone during the break that the first hour of discussion remained focussed on the three laws. “Our demand is the repeal of the laws. We will not agree to any alternatives such as the setting of the committee,” he said.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, are present at the meeting with the representatives of 40 farmer unions. The representatives of protesting farmers had their own food, arranged from langar (community kitchen), as they have been doing for the last few times. However, unlike the last round of talks on December 30, the ministers did not join the union leaders for the langar food and were seen having their own discussion separately during the break, which lasted for more than one and half hours.
The farmers had earlier threatened to intensify protest by shutting malls and petrol pumps if today’s talks with the Centre fail. “Our demands remain the same. The farm laws must be repealed. The two amendments need to be rolled back and the government must listen. Our agitation will continue,” Jageer Singh Dalewal, a Bharat Kisan Union member said. They even threatened to shut malls and petrol pumps if the Monday’s talks with the Centre fail.
"We wanted farmer unions to discuss three laws clause-wise. We could not reach any solution as farmer union remained adamant on the repeal of the laws," Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said after the meeting with farmers.
"Looking at today's discussion, I hope that we will have a meaningful discussion during our next meeting and we will come to a conclusion," he said.
The ministers wanted us to discuss the law point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want a complete rollback of the laws. Govt intends to take us towards amendments but we will not accept it: Yudhvir Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union said after the seventh round of meeting with the Centre
The seventh round of talks between the government and farmer unions remained inconclusive as no consensus emerged on farmers' demands of repeal of three farm laws and legal guarantee for a higher minimum support price. Next round of meeting will be on January 8.
A stalemate continued on Monday between the government and a representative group of thousands of protesting farmers, as the unions stuck to their demand for the repeal of three farm laws right from the beginning of the meeting even as the ministers listed various benefits of the Acts.
The two sides took a lunch break after just about one hour of talks, sources said, during which the three central ministers went into a huddle to discuss the way forward while the union leaders had the langar food arranged by them, as they have been doing for the last few times. However, unlike the last round of talks on December 30, the ministers did not join the union leaders for the langar food and were seen having their own discussion in a separate room during the break.
The break continued for more than an hour with no signs of any breakthrough as the government also remained firm on not repealing the laws and is believed to have suggested a panel to take the matter forward.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, who is participating in the meeting, told PTI over the phone during the break that the first hour of discussion remained focussed on the three laws. "Our demand is the repeal of the laws. We will not agree to any alternatives such as the setting of the committee," he said.
Asked if there could be a concrete outcome from the meeting, Tikait said, "I don't think so. They have to take back the laws for us to end the protest and go back to our homes."
Ahead of the next round of talks between the Centre and the agitating farmers, the Congress Monday said it would be a "true test of nationalism", and warned no government can face the wrath of farmers "who believe they are being deceived".
The government will hold the seventh round of talks with the agitating farmers and their leaders at Vigyan Bhawan later in the day.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter, "Today is the true test of 'Nationalism'. Will Modi Government act in 'National Interest' or 'Crony Corporate Interest'."
The Congress has been demanding the repeal of the three farm laws whose enactment has triggered a massive protest by farmers.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said those sitting under the dripping tents in the winter rains "are our own fearless farmers and not strangers".
There is nothing more left to be seen as far as the government's "brutality" on farmers is concerned, he alleged, as he shared some pictures of agitating farmers braving the winter chill while protesting at Delhi's borders.
Farmers' representatives have food during the lunch break at Vigyan Bhawan where the government is holding talks with farmers on three farm laws.
Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Parkash along with government officials and representatives of farmers observe a two-minute silence for farmers who died during the ongoing protest.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday appealed to the Centre to accept all the demands of the protesting farmers and repeal the three farm laws.
In a tweet ahead of the protesting farmer unions' meeting with the Centre, Kejriwal lauded their resolve in continuing their agitation despite rains and cold weather.
"Salute to the resolve of the farmers staying firm on the roads despite rains and cold. I appeal to the Centre to accept all the demands of the farmers and repeal the three black farm laws in today's meeting," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some other states are camping at several entry points of the national capital blocking the highways, demanding that the Centre repeal the farm laws and give legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The seventh round of meeting between the representatives of the farmers protesting at the Delhi borders and the Central government is underway at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
Ahead of the seventh round of talks between the central government and protesting farmer unions, veteran actor and former MP Dharmendra on Monday said he prays with all his heart that the farmers agitating against the three farm laws get justice today. Braving the cold and rains, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against the new agri legislations. "I hope today my farmer brothers get justice. I pray with all my heart. Every noble soul will get relief," Dharmendra, 84, wrote in Hindi on Twitter. This is not the first time the screen icon has spoken up in the wake of the farmers crisis. In December, Dharmendra urged the Centre to find a solution to the protests over the farm laws. --PTI
A delegation of farmer leaders arrive at Vigyan Bhawan for talks with Union government on the three farm laws. "We hope there is a breakthrough in this meeting in the new year," says a farmer leader.
Distancing itself from the contentious farm laws, Reliance Industries on Monday said it neither buys food grains directly from farmers nor is in the business of contract farming.
In a press release, the company said, "Reliance Industries Limited have not done any 'corporate' or 'contract' farming in the past, and have absolutely no plans to enter this business."
On the vandalism of towers and telecom infrastructure owned by Jio, the company moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking urgent intervention of the government .
"Our demands are the same as before-repeal the three farm laws & guarantee MSP. If our demands aren't met, then, we'll hold tractor march on Jan 6 and also on Jan 26," said Sukhwinder S Sabra, Joint Secy, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab ahead of seventh round of talks with government.
On the eve of the next round of talks between the protesting farmer unions and the Centre on Monday, the Haryana police on Sunday fired tear gas shells to stop a group of farmers, mostly from Rajasthan, from moving towards Delhi.
The incident occurred near Sangwari village in Rewari district, on NH-48, about 16 km from Gurgaon, at around 4 pm.
Confirming that tear gas shells were fired, Rajesh Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bawal, said: “The protesters said those who had gone ahead did not have enough provisions. They asked for permission to go to them and set up a langar, and were allowed to do so. However, when they got there, the entire group tried to break through the barricades and move forward.” Read more
Ahead of the next round of talks, farm unions Friday warned that they will start shutting all malls and petrol pumps in Haryana if the government fails to resolve their main demands for the repeal of three new farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP in the January 4 meeting.
After the sixth round of formal negotiations on Wednesday, the government and farm unions had reached some common ground to resolve protesting farmers’ concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP. Read full story here