New Delhi: The government is holding talks with farmers "with full sensitivity", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said today as he wished farmers on Kisan Diwas or Farmers' Day, which marks the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India. The day coincides with the 28th straight day of protests by farmer groups against the controversial new farm laws.
"On Farmers' Day, I greet all annadaatas (farmers) of the country. They have provided the country with food security. Some farmers are agitating against farm laws. The government is holding talks with them with full sensitivity. I hope that they'll end their agitation soon," Mr Singh tweeted in Hindi.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar will meet with farmer groups this afternoon as the government tries drumming support for the farm laws. The farmer NGOs are expected to lend a "conditional support" to the farm laws, sources said.
On Tuesday, protesting farmers said that a decision on the centre's offer for fresh talks has been deferred to today, even as they stuck to their demand to repeal the three farm laws.
A group of protesters showed black flags to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and even tried to block his convoy in Ambala City, as demonstrations were held in several states in support of the thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, who are on a sit-in since November 26 on the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three laws.
The sixth round of talks on December 9 was cancelled following a deadlock with the farmer unions refusing to budge from their demand for repealing the three laws.
Here are the Live Updates on farmer protests:
Dec 23, 2020 22:51 (IST)
Farmers Protest: Raise Your Voice Against Farm Laws, Chaudhary Charan Singh's Grandson Tells Farmers
Rashtriya Lok Dal national vice-president Jayant Chaudhary on Wednesday asked farmers to unite against the farm laws and said his party will back them, reported news agency PTI. Paying tributes to his grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary, the RLD leader said if farmers failed to raise their voice against the laws, then they may lose their land and identity.
Dec 23, 2020 20:51 (IST)
Farmers Protest: Dialogue Way Forward To Resolve Farmers' Issues, Says Venkaiah Naidu
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday emphasised that dialogue was the way forward in resolving the issues raised by the protesting farmers, reported news agency PTI. Interacting with a group of "progressive farmers" at his Hyderabad residence to mark the "Kisan Diwas", Mr Naidu said any issue could be resolved through talks. He pointed out that the government has already declared that it was always ready to hold a dialogue with the farmers' organisations, an official statement said.
Dec 23, 2020 20:37 (IST)
Farmers Protest: Left Exploited Farmers In Tripura, Kerala, Bengal, Alleges BJP
Terming the Left parties' stand on the three farm laws as "hypocritical", the BJP on Wednesday accused them of "exploiting" the farmers while they were in power in Tripura, Kerala and West Bengal, reported news agency PTI. Wherever the Left parties were in power, there was "nothing left" for the farmers and the economy, party spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters. "For 25 years, till 2018, there was a Left government in Tripura. I feel sad in saying that there was no MSP in the state for 25 years. Today, the Left leaders are acting as well wishers of the farmers, but all they did was to exploit them," he said.
Dec 23, 2020 20:35 (IST)
Farmers Protest: Congress Workers Protest In UP's Gorakhpur Against Farm Laws
Congress workers protested in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur on Wednesday against the three contentious farm laws by clapping and clanging of pots and pans, reported news agency PTI. The Congress workers, led by Gorakhpur district president Nirmala Paswan and city chief Ashutosh Tiwari, surrounded the house of BJP MLA Radha Mohan Das Agarwal.
Dec 23, 2020 20:14 (IST)
Farmers Protest: Ready For Talks, Centre Must Send Concrete Proposal, Say Protesting Farmers
Protesting farmer unions on Wednesday asked the government to not repeat "meaningless" amendments to the new farm laws that they have already rejected but come up with a concrete proposal in writing for another round of talks, reported news agency PTI. Addressing a press conference, a farmer leader said they were ready for talks, but the government should send a concrete proposal for that to happen.
Dec 23, 2020 20:13 (IST)
Farmers Protest: Dialogue Only Way, Says Bhartiya Kisan Union Spokesperson
As the farmers' protest entered its 27th day on Wednesday, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said a solution will come out through dialogue and his organisation is ready for it. Speaking to news agency ANI, Rakesh Tikait said that farmers under the BKU will not accept anything less than a complete rollback of the laws.
Dec 23, 2020 20:11 (IST)
Farmers Protest: More Farm Reforms Due, Says Agriculture Minister
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said the government will continue with reforms in the farm sector as they are still due in many areas, even as he reiterated his hope that protesting farmers will soon come forward to resume their dialogue with the Centre to resolve their concerns over three new farm laws, reported news agency PTI. The minister said any agitation can be resolved only through dialogue as has been the case always in history and urged the protesting unions to fix a date and time for the next round of talks.
Dec 23, 2020 09:26 (IST)
All India level meeting will be held at 2 pm today to decide on government's invitation for further talks. All 40 union leaders including Punjab, Haryana, UP, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Kerala will be meeting. The farmers are also observing Rashtriya Kisaan Diwas by not eating one time meal today.
