Farmers' Protest LIVE Updates: Farmers Break for Lunch at 9th Round of Talks, No Minister Yet Spotted Sharing 'Langar' as Deadlock Continues

Congress Holds 'Kisan Adhikari' Diwas | • Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday led the party's protest in the national capital in support of the agitating farmers, and said his party will not relent till the new farm laws are repealed. He was accompanied by AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other leaders of the Delhi Congress at the protest outside the Delhi LG's residence here as part of the countrywide agitation.

• Addressing the gathering, the former Congress chief said the Congress party will not step back till the time the government repeals these three farm laws. "These laws are not to help farmers, but to finish them. These laws are aimed at helping corporates like Ambani and Adani instead," he charged and added, "That is why we are standing in favour of the farmers".

• "The BJP government will have to take these black laws back. Till the time these laws are repealed, Congress party will not relent," he told the protesting Congressmen. "The Narendra Modi government earlier tried to take away the land of farmers, when it brought the land acquisition Act and the Congress party stopped them at that time. Now the BJP and their two-three friends are once again attacking the farmers and have brought these three farm laws," he also alleged. The Congress is taking out protest marches at all state capitals in the country and will gherao Raj Bhawans. The party is also protesting against fuel price hike.

• The Congress is observing the day as Kisan Adhikar Divas in support of farmers' rights. The protests come on a day the government is holding the next round of talks with leaders of farm unions to end the deadlock over their agitation.

UPCC President, Cong Workers Detained During Protest Against Farm Laws in UP | Congress workers, including UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, were on Friday taken into custody while trying to march towards the Raj Bhawan here as part of the party's 'Kisan Adhikar Diwas' programme against the new farm laws. Led by Lallu, party workers had started their march for the Raj Bhawan 'gherao' programme when they were taken into custody in Dalibagh area, a Congress spokesman said. Party workers raised 'jai jawan jai kisan slogans' when the police tried to disrupt their march, the spokesman said. The party is observing Raj Bhawan 'gherao' programme all over the country against the new farm laws on Friday, the spokesman added. (Image: News18)

Alert | Farmer unions and government are discussing the essential commodities act, in the 9th round of talks, as well.

Congress Protests Against Farm Laws:

Delhi: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with party workers head towards Raj Niwas, Civil Lines for gherao in protest against the three #farmlaws pic.twitter.com/0ch7v4Qkgg

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2021

Alert | Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has reiterated his route towards amending the current laws to suit the farmers' demands. However, farmer unions have asked for a complete repeal again.

Meeting underway:

Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar reaches Vigyan Bhawan to hold talks with farmer leaders over farm laws. pic.twitter.com/i9nCffmyhO

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2021

Haryana's Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, amid the ongoing six-week-long farmers' protest and rumours of a rift in the state government.

9th Round of Talks Between Farmers, Govt | • The ninth round of talks between protesting farmer unions and three central ministers got underway here on Friday afternoon to break the over-a-month-long deadlock on the three new agri laws. 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 holding the talks with the representatives of around 40 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan here.

• Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now against the three laws. On Thursday, Tomar had said that the government's ninth round of negotiations with protesting farmer unions would take place as scheduled and the Centre was hopeful of positive discussions. "The government is ready to hold talks with farmer leaders with an open mind," Tomar had told reporters here.

• The Supreme Court on January 11 had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann on Thursday recused himself from the committee appointed by the apex court. Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) president Anil Ghanwat, International Food Policy Research Institute's Pramod Kumar Joshi and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati are the other three members on the panel. On January 8, the eighth round of meeting remained inconclusive as the Centre ruled out repealing the three contentious laws claiming nationwide support for the reforms. However, farmer leaders had said that they were ready to fight till death and their 'ghar waapsi' would happen only after 'law waapsi'.

Two days after tweeting in support of the Supreme Court decision on farm laws, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said he supported farmers who had apprehensions about members of…

The ongoing Indian farmers agitation is one of the unique protests in recent Indian history - hundreds of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana have continued an almost two month long…

Tomar Welcomes Supreme Court Verdict | Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict amid a prolonged farmers' protest against the Centre's agri laws.  The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three controversial laws and said a four-member committee would be formed to take over negotiations to end the crisis. The committee has been directed to submit its recommendations within two months from first sitting. "When the committee meets we will appear before it and present our views," he says, adding that any decision of next meetings will be taken during talks today. 

Scrap New Agri Laws to End Farmer Agitation, Says Baghel | Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday pushed for repeal of the Centre's new agri-marketing laws to end the ongoing agitation by farmers outside Delhi. He said after privatisation of airports and railways, the NDA government has now set its eyes on farmers land, the Congress leader said. "But farmers have understood everything that's why they are agitating for more than a month now. The Supreme Court has also taken note of the agitation. "Therefore, the government should withdraw the laws to end the agitation," Baghel said. Baghel was here in Maharashtra to attend the last day of the three-day camp for Chhattisgarh Congress office-bearers organised at Gandhi Ashram in Sewagram. Talking to the media, he said the purpose of the camp was to create new energy among Congress office-bearers by propagating Mahatma Gandhi's ideas on non-violence, peace, equality and eradication of untouchability.

Join Farmers' 'Satyagraha' Against Modi Govt: Rahul Gandhi | Asking people to join the farmers' "satyagraha" against the Modi government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke out in support of the ongoing protests and against rising fuel prices in the country. The Congress is observing the day as Kisan Adhikar Divas and will take out protest marches in all state capitals. Participating in the "SpeakUpForKisanAdhikar" campaign of his party, Gandhi said on Twitter, "The country's farmers are holding a satyagraha against the arrogant Modi Government to win their rights." "The entire country today is raising its voice against the atrocities being committed on farmers and the rise in price a of petrol and diesel. You should also join this campaign and be a part of this satyagraha," he added in his Twitter post in Hindi. The party has backed the farmers' agitation and demanded a repeal of the Centre's three new farm laws. The "SpeakUpForKisanAdhikar" campaign was launched on a day the government and farmers are set to hold their ninth round of talks in a bid to end the deadlock.

Ninth Round of Talks Soon | The ninth round of talks between farmer leaders and government is set to begin shortly. Clearing the confusion over the fate of the meeting, which was the only outcome in the last meeting on January 8, in the wake of the Supreme Court on January 11 appointing a four-member panel to resolve the impasse and a key member of the proposed committee subsequently recusing himself,  Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the talks between the government and the union representatives will take place as scheduled for 12 pm on January 15.

Protesting Farmer Unions Welcome Bhupinder Singh Mann's Decision, but Say Won't Accept Any Committee | Protesting farmer leaders welcomed Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann's decision on Thursday to recuse himself from a Supreme Court-appointed committee, and reiterated that they do not want any panel and will not settle for anything less than the repeal of the three contentious laws. They said the other three members of the committee should follow suit as the agitating unions had never demanded formation of any committee to resolve the impasse between farmers and the Centre over the new agri laws. Read more

Anna Hazare Writes to Modi, Says Will Launch 'Last Hunger Strike' on Farmers' Issues in Delhi | Activist Anna Hazare on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reiterated his decision to launch "the last hunger strike" of his life on farmers' issues in Delhi by January end. The letter comes even as farmer unions are agitating on Delhi borders against the Centre's new farm laws. He will stage the fast by month-end, 83-year-old Hazare said, without specifying the date. On December 14, Hazare had written to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, warning of a hunger strike if his demands including the implementation of the M S Swaminathan Committee's recommendations on agriculture were not fulfilled. Read more

Protesting farmer leaders on Thursday said they will attend the ninth round of talks with the government amid indication that it may be last such meeting with the Centre, but added that they don't…

Bhupinder Mann Should Have Taken Stand Against Farm Laws, Not Recused Himself from SC Panel: SAD | The Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday said Bhupinder Singh Mann should not have recused himself from the SC-appointed committee, saying the BKU leader should have taken a stand for Punjab. Bhartiya Kisan Union national president Bhupinder Singh Mann on Thursday said he is recusing himself from the four-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to resolve the deadlock between farmers and the Centre over the new agri-marketing laws. Read more

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) believes the farm bills passed by the Indian government have the potential to represent a significant step forward for agricultural reforms, a spokesperson of the…

'Don't Be on Wrong Side of History, Do What Mann Did': BKU (Lok Shakti) to Members of SC Farm Laws Panel | Members of the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to resolve farm laws deadlock should follow the suit of Bhupinder Singh Mann and not be on the "wrong side of history", a farmers' union said here on Thursday. Mann, the national president of Bharatiya Kisan Union, on Thursday expressed gratitude over his nomination into the four-member committee but recused himself saying he would give up any position to prevent farmers' interests from being compromised. Read more