Farmers Movement Archive

Farm leader: Shah agreed not consulting farmers a mistake

Farm union leader Shiv Kumar Sharma Kakaji has said that Union home minister Amit Shah during talks on December 8 had urged farmers to deliberate on the government’s proposal, saying the Centre had made the mistake of not consulting farmers. Kakaji, who previously led a large-scale farmers’ protest in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur in 2016, said: “The home minister requested us to take part in talks. He said the government made a mistake in not holding consultations with farmers prior to the talks.” Key farmer leader favours talks, says ‘goalposts shifted’Kakaji, giving details of what transpired between the farmers and the minister a day ahead of a breakdown in negotiations, said Shah told them that the government was sensitive to the points raised by the farmers and the government would send a formal document of proposals suggesting amendments. “We told the home minister we were not interested in amendments but seek a repeal of all three laws,” Kakaji told reporters. There was no response to a query sent to the home ministry on Kakaji’s comments till the time of going to press.Amid the prevailing deadlock between farmers and the central government over the new farm laws, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Som Parkash met home minister Amit Shah on Sunday. Farmers to step up stir, plan sit-in across country todayMeanwhile, the farmers’ agitation in and around Delhi entered its 18th day on Sunday, with farmers blocking the Delhi-Jaipur highway and sticking to their demand for a repeal of the new agriculture laws that they say were designed to benefit large corporations at the cost of cultivators’ interests, even as the government has maintained it would benefit the sector.

Hindustan Times

14-12-2020

India