Farmers Movement Archive

Samyukt Kisan Morcha rejects offer for talks

It said the farmer unions had made it clear to the government during several rounds of negotiations that such amendments were not acceptable to them. Mr. Yadav said the agitating farmers and farmer unions were ready for talks and were waiting for the government to take forward the process of negotiations with an “open heart”, “open mind” and “good intentions”. “We urge you to send a concrete proposal in writing, instead of repeating the rejected proposals of meaningless amendments, so that it could be made an agenda to resume the process of negotiations at the earliest,” he said. ‘Bid to derail movement’ The letter from the government was an attempt to defame the farmers’ movement. The government was dealing with them as political opponents and not a group of distressed citizens. “Besides, the government holding parallel discussions with so-called farmer leaders not existing on the ground is an attempt to derail the movement,” he said. Bharatiya Kisan Union national general secretary Yudhvir Singh said farmers had categorically told the government that anything less than the withdrawal of the laws was not acceptable, but the attitude of the government and this letter were mere attempts to prolong things and break the willpower of farmers. He warned the government, saying farmers represented 60% of the population and not listening to their concerns could have disastrous repercussions. All-India Kisan Sabha general secretary Hannan Mollah reiterated that farmers had come to Delhi and were holding an agitation in extreme cold conditions to talk and find solution. The Working Group of the All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said in a press statement said that claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Aligarh Muslim University on Tuesday were not in harmony with the ground reality. On the call of the farmer unions and the AIKSCC, the farmers and their supporters observed the birthday of former PM and farmer leader Charan Singh as “Kisan Diwas” by skipping lunch, said the press statement. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, at a press conference during the day, urged the agitating farmers and the farmer unions to try and understand the intent and the provisions of the three laws. “If the farmers have any objections, the government is ready discuss it with them with an open mind. I am hopeful that we will soon head towards an amicable solution. Talks are the only way to end stalemate,” he said.

The Hindu

2020-12-24

December 24 2020 00:00 IST