Centre invites farmers’ unions for talks
Item
Title
Centre invites farmers’ unions for talks
Description
It is time for the Prime Minister to listen to the “ mann ki baat ” of the farmers or pay a heavy price for not doing so, their leaders said on Monday, the fifth day of their protest on the borders of Delhi. Their demand for the repeal of the Centre’s three agricultural reform laws is non-negotiable, they added. After the protesting farmers rejected Home Minister Amit Shah’s invitation for talks on the condition that the protest be moved to the Burari grounds, there have been at least two meetings among senior Ministers and Cabinet officials, and several unofficial contacts between the government and the Punjab farmers’ union leaders. Mr. Shah and Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar met BJP president J.P. Nadda late on Sunday. Mr. Tomar was seen leaving Mr. Shah’s residence again on Monday afternoon. Some Punjab farmers’ union leaders said they received calls from senior bureaucrats and politicians, including Mr. Shah himself, with possible invitations for unconditional talks on Tuesday. “The Punjab leaders have responded that the invitation must come officially, but we have not got anything in writing yet,” said one leader, who did not wish to be quoted. More farmers gather Tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at the Tikri and Singhu border crossings for five days, and a crowd is now growing at the Ghazipur border point as well. Traffic into the city has been severely affected, and farmers have threatened to block five border points as more protesters are mobilised. A senior Cabinet Minister who hails from Punjab also signalled that the Centre may be ready for an unconditional dialogue. “Talks are always held without preconditions or preconceived notions. I sincerely hope that the Ministers will listen to all their genuine demands, they will be considered and whatever problems they have will be solved,” Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told news agency ANI.
Publisher
The Hindu
Date
2020-12-01
Coverage
NEW DELHI