Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers get invite for talks again

The Centre on Monday invited protesting farmer unions to resume negotiations with a ministerial delegation on December 30. Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal sent the invitation to 40 farmers’ organisations in the evening, saying the Centre was committed to a “logical solution”. Farmer groups indicated that they were likely to accept the invitation, though they complained that the letter did not specifically reference their key demand for the repeal of the three agricultural market reform laws. “The government has used vague and unspecific language, indicating its unwillingness to discuss the full agenda items proposed by farmers… [The letter] is woefully short of any attempt to resolve issues,” said a statement from the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), one of the protesting farmers’ platforms. The wider Samyukt Kisan Morcha held an internal consultation to discuss its response to the invitation. In his letter, Mr. Agarwal noted that the farmer groups had communicated their willingness to hold discussions with an open mind. “The Government of India is also committed to finding a logical solution to the relevant issues with an open mind and honest intentions,” the letter said. Show of strength Farmers are planning a show of strength on December 30, with a tractor rally from the Singhu border point to the protest sites at Tikri on the Haryana border and Shahjahanpur on the Rajasthan border. Rallies are also expected in Thanjavur, Patna, Hyderabad and Imphal over the next two days. Tens of thousands of farmers are now protesting on the borders of Delhi for 33 straight days. Five rounds of talks have already been held between the Central Ministers and farmer leaders. Negotiations broke down on December 9 when farmers rejected the government’s proposal to amend the three contentious laws, insisting on full repeal. Last week, Agriculture Ministry Joint Secretary Vivek Aggarwal wrote to the farmers’ groups, urging them to resume negotiations, suggesting that they set the date and issues of their choosing to be discussed. On Saturday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha responded, proposing a meeting at 11 a.m. on December 29, demanding a four-point agenda, beginning with the modalities to be adopted for the revocation of the three laws and a mechanism of legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP).

The Hindu

2020-12-29

NEW DELHI