Farmers Protest Live News: Tenth round of talks, SC to hear pleas against Republic Day tractor rally today
By: FE Online | Updated: January 20, 2021 12:04:17 pm
Farmers Protest 2020, Indian Farmers Protest Live Update: In the last meeting held on January 15, both the sides stuck to their stated positions leading to no resolution even after nine rounds of talks on the issues.
Farmers have been protesting for months against the three farm laws. (ANI)2020 Indian Farmers Protest Live Update: The tenth round of talks between heads of farm unions and the Centre will take place today afternoon at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi. The Centre is expected to discuss the farm laws clause-by-clause while farmers would push for the total withdrawal of laws. In the last meeting held on January 15, both the sides stuck to their stated positions leading to no resolution even after nine rounds of talks on the issues.
Today’s talks assume significance as this comes just a week before the Republic Day. The farmers have announced that they will take out tractor rallies on Republic Day on January 26. Last week, the Centre moved the Supreme Court against the proposed tractor rally, saying it would disturb the ceremony and law and order situation in the national capital. The court, however, said that it won’t decide on who can enter or not enter the city. It left it to the Delhi Police to take a call on a proposed tractor rally. Today, the Supreme Court will hear the matter again.
Read More
Live Blog
Farmers Protest Live: Kisan Andolan Live Updates, Indian Farmers Protest 2020 Live News
The protesting farmers yesterday said that their preparations for the "peaceful march" are in full gear and there is no question of going back. The farm unions have announced that thousands of farmers will take out the tractor rally on the Outer Ring Road in the national capital on January 26. They say more farmers are likely to flock to the protest sites after Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti on Wednesday. "We want the government to give us permission for our rally. This is our country and it is our constitutional right to voice our needs and demands," said Amarjeet Singh Rarra, general secretary, Deaba Kisan Committee. "We will march with our farmer unions' flags and the national flag. So if they fight us, they will be fighting the 'tiranga', he said. He added that instead of preventing the farmers from taking out the march, 'the Centre and the police should provide a safe corridor for the rally'. (PTI)
Highlights
Rahul Gandhi yesterday alleged that the new farm laws are designed to destroy the agriculture sector and hand it over to "three or four crony capitalists". He said repealing the legislation is the only solution to end the current deadlock and the government's attempt to "drag" the talks will not succeed. Gandhi said he was a patriot who did not fear anyone, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asserted that he had a clean record and nobody could touch him. "They can shoot me, but can't touch me. I am a patriot and I protect my country, and I will keep doing it," he said.
Gurnam Singh Chaduni of Bharatiya Kisan Union: "We have told them that we will hold tractor march at Ring Road, they should accept it. We will have further information after meet but they won't face any disturbance due to it."
Farmer leaders have arrived at Vigyan Bhawan for meeting with Police.
The farmer unions have said they planned to hold their parade on the periphery of the national capital and would not disrupt the official Republic Day event. Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) president Jagjit Singh Dallewal said 20,000-25,000 tractors would come to Delhi from Punjab alone for the planned parade. Farmers with their tractors will leave for Delhi later this week, union leaders said. "Uur batches will start moving towards Delhi from January 23 and 24," Kokrikalan said.
Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said their batches will head for the capital on January 20 and January 22. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) vice president Harinder Kaur Bindu said women who are camping at the Delhi border and those who come later from Punjab will take part in the parade. "Several women will also drive tractors on January 26," she said. Kokrikalan said announcements are being made from gurdwaras and from vehicles fitted with loudspeakers for mobilising people for the parade. Farmer leaders have earlier said their tractors would fly the national flag and also carry the flag of their organisations.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at Delhi's borders for several weeks, demanding the repeal of the farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops. They claim that the new laws would weaken the MSP system. But the Centre says the MSP system will remain and the new laws only provide more options for farmers to sell their produce. (PTI)
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President D K Shivakumar has claimed that the BJP governmentis trying to stop farmers from joining today’s protest rally. As part of Congress’ nationwide campaign against the newly enacted three farm laws, the party has planned a protest rally today which will include farmers from across the state and party workers. Shivakumar had informed that the rally will end with a call for a march towards Raj Bhavan.
“I got several phone calls that farmers coming to Bengaluru from other districts are being stopped by Police and are not being allowed to come to Bengaluru. I urge farmers to stop wherever they are, block highways, roads and protest in support of farmers. I know the BJP government is trying to stop farmers at any cost and not letting them participate in the protest. I request protesters to come to Sangolli Rayanna statue and participate in the massive protest rally,” said D K Shivakumar.
Farmer unions have begun holding tractor rallies at villages in Punjab to mobilise people for their planned tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day. Already tractor rallies have been held in places like Nawanshahr and Gurdaspur as a build-up to the proposed January 26 event, farmer leaders said. More are planned over the next two days. "There is a great enthusiasm among people in Punjab to become part of the tractor parade," Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said on Tuesday. He claimed that five to 10 tractors are ready to leave for Delhi from many villages, and in some over 50 are lined up. "We are fully geared up for a tractor parade. We have given a call for taking out tractor marches in all villages in the state on January 20 and 21 in view of the January 26 tractor parade," said Kokrikalan. "We are taking out tractor marches to make people aware of the January 26 tractor parade," a farmer who took part in a rally in Gurdaspur said. He said the aim is get the maximum participation possible for the Republic Day event to press for the repeal of the three 'black laws' on farming. (PTI)
Farmers-Centre talks today: The tenth round of talks with the government is scheduled for today. So far, nine round of talks have failed to yield any concrete results as the agitating unions have stuck to their main demand for repealing the agri laws and the government has ruled out any such step. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday hoped that protesting farmer unions will discuss alternatives other than the repeal of the new farm laws in the tenth round of talks and appealed to them not to go ahead with their tractor rally. "I want to appeal to farmers that January 26 is our Republic Day and the country has got independence after much sacrifice. Ensuring that the dignity of the Republic day is not affected is the responsibility of farmers also. I hope they will reconsider their decision," he had said.
For nearly two months now, thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other states have been protesting against the new farm laws, which they are afraid, will do away with the Minimum Support Price system and leave them at the mercy of big corporations. The government, however, has been projecting the three laws as major agricultural reforms. (PTI)