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Farm stir: 10th round of farmers-Centre talks postponed by a day to January 20


Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jan 19, 2021:     The tenth round of talks between the government and protesting farmers on the contentious farm laws was on Monday postponed by a day to January 20, with the Centre saying both sides want to resolve the stalemate at the earliest but it was getting delayed due to involvement of people of other ideologies.

 

Farmers Protest


The ninth round of talks between the Union government and the farmers, agitating against the three recent farm laws, ended inconclusively on January 15 after which the next round of meetings was scheduled to be held on January 19.

Asserting that the new farm laws are in the interest of the farming community, the government said obstacles do come whenever good things or measures are taken and it is taking longer to resolve the issue as farmers’ leaders want a solution their own way.

"The government’s ministerial meeting with farmers unions will be held on January 20 at 2 pm at Vigyan Bhawan, instead of January 19," the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"The Government’s ministerial meeting with protesting farmers’ unions was fixed on January 19. Due to inevitable reasons, it has become important to postpone the meeting. Now the meeting will be held on January 20 at 2 pm at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Request you to attend the meeting," Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal said in a letter to 40 farmer unions.

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court-appointed panel to resolve the crisis is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Tuesday. Farmers have already rejected the SC-appointed panel saying that the members have been in favour of the farm laws.

For close to two months, thousands of farmers have been camping at various Delhi borders, demanding a complete repeal of the farm laws and a legal guarantee for a minimum support price (MSP) crop procurement system. While the farmers have remained adamant on their demands, the government has held its ground, leading to nine rounds of talks without a conclusion.

In the ninth,round of talks between the government officials and the farmers at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi, the farmer unions continued to press for the repeal of the farm laws, sources told India Today TV. They also registered their protest against cases against farmers in Karnal following the incident before Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattars rally, they said.

The farmers also raised concern regarding the alleged police crackdown against those directly or indirectly supporting farmers’ protest, the sources said.

"The government is bent on harassing the people involved in the movement, instead of listening to the demand of the farmers. The social workers who are sending buses to Delhi or providing financial help to the martyred farmers are being harassed repeatedly in the name of the investigation by the NIA - National Investigation Agency. We oppose this mental abuse and we warn the central government to create a good environment for the discussions with farmers," Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the united front of 40 farm unions, said in a statement after the meeting.

According to sources, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar had told the farmers that while the government has accepted most of their demands, it is the farmers who are stuck and are not moving ahead to break the deadlock between the two over farm laws.


Courtesy: India Today