Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ protest: Ministers in huddle as farmers threaten to block Delhi-Jaipur highway

Top Union ministers, including home minister Amit Shah, farm minister Narendra Singh Tomar and minister of state for commerce and industry Som Parkash, went into a huddle on Sunday as farmers who have been camping at Delhi’s borders to demand the repeal of three contentious laws aimed at opening up farm trade dug in their heels.Tomar and Parkash met Shah on Sunday as the deadlock between farmers and the Centre over the new farm laws continued for the 18th day, reports said. The ministers were accompanied by leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Punjab, according to news agency PTI. Tomar and Parkash, along with their ministerial colleague Piyush Goyal, have been leading the government’s negotiations with the protesting farmers.Tomar and Parkash met the Union home minister at his house and it was not immediately known what transpired in the meeting, even as the farmers’ agitation in and around Delhi entered its 18th day with the protesters threatening to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway.Also read | ‘Always listened to my conscience’: Senior Punjab cop resigns to support protesting farmers“Thousands of farmers will begin a tractor march at 11am on December 13 from Shahjahanpur in Rajasthan and block the Jaipur-Delhi main road,” Sanyukta Kisan Andolan leader Kamal Preet Singh Pannu had said on Saturday.The farmers’ union leader added they will sit on fast from 8am to 5pm on December 14 at Singhu border. “On December 14, all farmer leaders will sit on fast sharing the stage at Singhu border. We want the government to take back the three farm laws; we’re not in the favour of the proposed amendments. The Centre wants to thwart our movement but we’ll continue it peacefully,” he said, according to news agency ANI.Also read | New laws meant to make farmers prosperous: ModiPannu alleged that the Centre is trying to “fail” the farmers’ movement, making attempts to divide the farmers. “We will foil any attempt by the Centre to fail our movement. The government made a few small attempts to divide us and instigate people. But, we will peacefully take this movement towards victory,” he said, according to news agency ANI.Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi’s borders demanding the repeal of the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.The three farm laws, which were enacted in September, have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. Farmers have, however, demanded the repeal of these laws, saying the reforms will make them vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations and weaken the government’s MSP system. These laws together allow agribusinesses to trade farm produce without restrictions, permit private traders to stockpile large quantities of essential commodities for future sales and lay down new rules for contract farming.On Saturday, a delegation of farmers from Haryana, including those connected with Farmer Producer Organisation, had expressed their support, in a letter, for the three farm laws with the modifications proposed by the central government.The government has held five rounds of formal talks with the representatives of farmers, but the deadlock has continued with the unions sticking to their main demand of repeal of the three contentious laws. The sixth round of talks between the government and farm union leaders was cancelled.(With agency inputs)

Hindustan Times

13-12-2020

India