Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda again urges Centre to restart dialogue process with protesting farmers

CHANDIGARH: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday once again urged the central government to restart the dialogue process with protesting farmers.

A government panel had met farmer leaders on January 22, however, there have been no talks between the two sides since January 26 when the farmers' tractor rally in the national capital turned violent.

Hooda said the responsibility of convincing the Union government on restarting dialogue rests with the BJP-JJP government in Haryana.

The leader of opposition in the state assembly said Haryana's borders with Delhi have been the epicentre of the farmers' movement against the Centre's new farm laws since the day it began and the state BJP-JJP government should have convinced the Union government to find a solution.

"The protests are happening on our land and hence it is the responsibility of the BJP-JJP government of Haryana to convince the central government to accept the demands of the farmers," the Congress leader said in a statement.

"The government should try to find a respectful solution after considering the demand of the farmers in broader national interest. The farmers' movement near Delhi's borders has completed six months and a large number of farmers have left their families and are sitting at the borders. In such a situation, I again urge the government to hold talks with protesting farmers with a positive mindset," he said.

Hooda said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has tried to break the deadlock "and sent a proposal to the government for talks to find a respectful solution to the issue".

"The government should now also take two steps forward and try to make talks fruitful," he said.

The SKM on Friday had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging resumption of talks over the farm laws against which they have been agitating since November last year.

Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock.

Twelve major opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, Left, SP, NCP and DMK among others, had on Sunday backed the SKM's countrywide protest call on May 26, which the farmers will be observing as a "black day" to mark six months of their protest.