Farmers' protest Live Updates: At Singhu border in New Delhi on January 21, 2021.Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: Another round of talks between the central government and farmer unions will be held on Friday to try and resolve the impasse over the newly-enacted farm laws. During their previous meeting on Thursday, farmer unions rejected the Centre’s proposal to keep the laws in abeyance for 18 months, and reiterated their demand for repeal of the laws. However, sources told The Indian Express, nearly half the farm leaders were in favour of accepting the offer.
Two days ago, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said he believed the talks were moving in a “meaningful direction”, and “we expect to move towards a solution on January 22.”
Farmers are gearing up for their tractor parade on Republic Day, when lakhs are expected to rally on a 16-17 km stretch of Delhi’s Outer Ring Road. During a meeting with the Delhi Police on Thursday, farmers were requested to reconsider their proposed route, and hold it at the protest sites at Singhu or Tikri or on the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways. Farmers are planning to set up tableaus of all states on tractor-trolleys during the parade.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee spoke to farmer organisations for the first time via video-conference on Thursday. It said it interacted with farmers from eight states, and received “suggestions to improve implementation of the Acts”. The farmer unions, it said, “gave their frank opinion including suggestions to improve the implementation of Acts”.
Farmers sit in protest against the new farm bill at Singhu border, New Delhi, on Tuesday January 19, 2021 Express photo by Abhinav Saha.
Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, leader of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), a farmers’ movement, said there would be over 10,000 tractors participating in the parade on January 26. “Around 25,000 farmers will enter Bengaluru and reach Freedom Park through the main roads of the city via Yeshwanthpur and Malleswaram. The parade will be held from Nelamangala to Bengaluru, with farmers arriving in more than 10,000 tractors and other vehicles. The parade is planned to begin soon after the chief minister hoists the national flag,” he said. Read more here
Representatives of the central government and farmer unions will meet today for another round of talks over the farm laws. During their last meeting yesterday, farmer unions rejected the Centre's proposal to keep the laws in abeyance for 18 months, and reiterated their demand for repeal of the laws.