This Article is From Dec 17, 2020

Farmers Protest: Top Court Suggests Centre-Farmers' Panel To End Deadlock Over Farm Laws

Farmers Protest in Delhi Updates: The court has issued notice to the Centre as well as the Delhi, Punjab and Haryana governments and said they will have to respond by tomorrow before winter vacation begins.

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Farmers Protest: Leaders of protesting farmers have hardened their stand on farm laws

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today suggested a panel be formed with representatives from all stakeholders -- the farmers' associations as well as government nominees to find a solution to the deadlock in talks over the new farm laws. The farmers' protest will soon become a "national issue", the Supreme Court said today, suggesting that a solution be found urgently through negotiations. The court has issued notice to the Centre as well as the Delhi, Punjab and Haryana governments and said they will have to respond by tomorrow before winter vacation begins.

Meanwhile, the farm leaders dismissed the move as no solution as they want a complete withdrawal of the legislations. They also said the government should have formed a committee of farmers and others before the laws were enacted by Parliament.

Five rounds of meetings have taken place between the government and the representatives of thousands of farmers who have been protesting at the borders of the national capital.

Earlier on Tuesday, the leaders of protesting farmers asserted they will "make" the Centre repeal the three new farm laws, and asserted that their fight has reached a stage where they are "determined" to win it no matter what.

Here are the live updates on farmers' protests:

Dec 16, 2020 21:37 (IST)
PM Modi Government Continuously Working For Farmers' Benefits: Amit Shah
Dec 16, 2020 21:03 (IST)
Stop Holding Parallel Talks With Other Farmer Bodies: Protesting Farmer Unions To Government

An umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting against the new farm laws at several Delhi border points on Wednesday asked the Centre to stop holding "parallel talks" with other farmer bodies over the contentious legislations, PTI reported.

With the government saying that it is waiting for the reply of peasant leaders, the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha said that there was no question of responding as the farmer unions had made their stand clear in the last round of meeting with Union ministers that they want the laws to be repealed.

In a letter to Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Joint Secretary Vivek Aggarwal, the Morcha said the Centre should also stop "defaming" the ongoing protests being held against the farm laws.

The letter by the Morcha, which represents farmer bodies mostly from Punjab, comes against the backdrop of the government holding talks with several farmers' organisations from different states who the Centre claimed have extended their support to the new agriculture laws.
Dec 16, 2020 20:57 (IST)
“Government Is Continuously Speaking With Farmers”: Minister Kailash Choudhary
Dec 16, 2020 20:32 (IST)
Hope Government Wakes Up To The Tragedy: Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal On Farmer’s Death
Dec 16, 2020 20:31 (IST)
Farmers' Protest: Sikh Priest Allegedly Dies By Suicide At Delhi Border

The priest of a Gurdwara from Haryana, Baba Ram Singh, who had joined the farmers' protest, died by suicide today at the Delhi border, where he reached last evening. In a note, he said he was sacrificing his life "to express anger and pain against the government's injustice".

"I feel the pain of farmers fighting to ensure their rights... I share their pain because the government is not doing justice to them. To inflict injustice is a sin, but it is also a sin to tolerate injustice. To support farmers, some have returned their awards to the government. I have decided to sacrifice myself," read the note he left.

The 65-year-old had shot himself, the police said.
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Dec 16, 2020 20:10 (IST)
Forming New Committee No Solution: Protesting Farmer Leaders On Top Court's Suggestion

Protesting farmer unions Wednesday said constituting a new panel to break the stalemate on the three new agri laws, as indicated by the Supreme Court, is not a solution as they want a complete withdrawal of the legislations, according to PTI.

They also said the government should have formed a committee of farmers and others before the laws were enacted by Parliament.

Their assertions came after the Supreme Court indicated earlier in the day that it may form a panel having representatives of the government and farmer unions to resolve the deadlock.

Abhimanyu Kohar, a leader of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sabha which is one of 40 protesting farmer unions, said they have already rejected a recent government offer to form such a panel.

"Setting up a new committee by the court is not a solution. We just want a complete repeal of the three agriculture laws. Earlier, there have been several rounds of talks between a group of Central ministers and farmer unions, which was like a committee itself," he said.
Dec 16, 2020 20:06 (IST)
Farmers' Protest: Jaipur-Delhi Highway Remains Partially Blocked

The Jaipur-Delhi highway remained partially blocked as the farmers' stir against the Centre's agriculture laws entered its fourth day on the Haryana-Rajasthan border on Wednesday, PTI reported.

Farmers led by Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav and former CPI (M) MLA Amra Ram are agitating on the stretch leading to Delhi in Shahjahanpur of Rajasthan's Alwar district, which borders Haryana.

They had blocked the road on Sunday after police stopped their march to Delhi.

"We have not closed the highway. The government has closed it. The authorities should remove barricades and everything will open in 10 minutes. I assure the public," Mr Yadav said.
Dec 16, 2020 18:17 (IST)
Farmers' Protest A Planned Conspiracy By Opposition: Gujarat BJP Chief

BJP's Gujarat unit president CR Paatil on Wednesday alleged that the ongoing agitation by farmers on the Delhi borders was a planned conspiracy by the opposition parties to create anarchy in the country and to destabilise it, PTI reported.

Mr Paatil, a BJP MP from Navsari Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat, said Congress was in favour of these farm sector reforms when it was in power before 2014. His statement comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a conspiracy is afoot to confuse farmers over the new agri laws and accused the opposition of using farmers' shoulders to fire their guns.

Talking to reporters in Surat, Mr Paatil said, "This agitation is a planned conspiracy by the opposition to destabilise the nation, but the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not let this happen. Since opposition parties have lost their base, they are trying to create anarchy in the country."
Dec 16, 2020 17:40 (IST)
We Welcome Supreme Court's Decision On Setting Up A Committee To Resolve Farmers’ Issue: Minister
Dec 16, 2020 16:51 (IST)
Farm Laws Row Can Be Solved In 5 Minutes If PM Modi Steps In: Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut

The issues flagged by agitating farmers can be solved in five minutes if Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself steps in, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday, according to PTI.

Mr Raut said the government should have a dialogue with the farmers who are protesting for the last 21 days outside Delhi, demanding scrapping of the Centre's three new farm laws.

"The government can solve the issue in a 30 minute ssitting with the farmers, if it wants...I think the issue will be solved in five minutes if the prime minister himself intervenes," he said.



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