Not willing to budge.

On the eve of talks, farmers demand special House session to repeal farm laws

Farmers threaten to intensify stir; Punjab CM coming to Delhi to meet Shah

Agency Report | Delhi/Chandigarh/Ghazipur | 2 December, 2020 | 11:00 PM

Protesting farmers demand that the Central government call a special session of Parliament to repeal the new farm laws and threaten to block other roads of the national capital if their demands are not met. Farmer leader Darshan Pal accused the government of dividing farmer organisations. He said that protesting farmers will continue their agitation till the three farm laws are repealed. "Centre should call a special session of Parliament to repeal the three farm laws," Singh said. Another farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chadoni said that if the Centre does not withdraw the new laws, more steps will be taken in the coming days to press for their demands. The government held its own huddle ahead of Thursday’s talks. Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on the issues raised by farmers. Tomar and Goyal along with MoS for Commerce Som Parkash had represented the Union government in Tuesday’s inconclusive talks with farmer leaders. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is flying into Delhi at 9:30 am on Thursday to meet Amit Shah and discuss the farmers agitation.

The agitating farmers on Wednesday urged the Union government to convene a special session of Parliament to repeal the three farm laws, besides threatening to hold a nationwide protest on December 5.

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu, Darshan Pal, president of the Krantikari Kisan Union, said, “We will celebrate December 3, when the Bhopal gas tragedy took place several decades ago, as anti-corporate day. On December 5, we will protest against the Modi government and the corporate houses and burn their effigies.”

It will be a nationwide protest where the farmers will burn the effigies.

He said that artistes and sportspersons have given a call to return the awards they have received from the government.

“We thank the people who have announced to return their awards to the government and we are hopeful that those who have got national awards will also return them as a mark of solidarity with the farmers’ movement,” Pal said.

He added that the farmer leaders will give a written 7-10 page recommendation on why they want the farm laws to be repealed.

“We demand the government to call a special session of Parliament to repeal the three farm laws,” Pal said.

He informed that during the meeting with the government on Tuesday, it seemed to them that the government tried to divide them and tried to mislead them on the three farm laws.

The press conference was held after the farmers’ groups held talks earlier in the day.

Pratibha Shinde of Lok Sangharsh Morcha while addressing the media said that they shall burn effigies in every district of Maharashtra on December 3.

“We shall burn the effigies of government and corporates in Maharashtra on December 3 and in Gujarat on December 5,” she said, adding that Thursday is the last chance for the government to take a decision to repeal the laws otherwise this movement will become huge and the government will fall.

Even as the farmers threatened the government, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told the media that they will hold discussions with the farmers’ leaders on Thursday.

“We have called a meeting with farmers tomorrow and let’s see to what extent issues can be resolved,” Tomar said.

He told the farmers that the laws are in the farmer’s interest and the reforms have come after a long wait.

“But if they have any objection to it then we are ready to address their concerns,” Tomar added.

On Tuesday, a meeting of the farmer’s delegation with the government remained inconclusive. The farmers will again meet with the government representatives on Thursday morning.

The farmers have been sitting on protest for the last seven days at Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders. Thousands of farmers have been camping at the Singhu border, while several other groups have blocked the entry at the Delhi-Haryana border in Tikri, the Delhi-UP Ghazipur border and the Delhi-UP Chilla border.

Just ahead of the scheduled meeting between the farmer leaders belonging to more than 30 farm bodies and the Central leadership on Thursday to discuss the issues on which the farmers have been protesting for the last seven days on the borders of the national capital, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The meeting has been called between Amarinder Singh and Amit Shah to understand the issue relating to the contentious farm laws and to adopt a ‘middle-way approach’ to end the deadlock, an official in the Chief Minister’s Office said.

It is learnt that the Centre is keen to end the deadlock as early as possible as the national capital blockade has severely impacted the economy.

Terming the farmers’ fight against the farm laws as just, Amarinder Singh had on Monday asked the Centre why it was being adamant on the issue and not listening to the farmers.

“It is the job of the government to listen to its people. If farmers from so many states are joining the agitation, then they must be really upset,” said the Chief Minister.

He has asserted his government’s commitment to stand firmly with the farmers in their fight against the “black laws”.

On the Prime Minister’s adamant stand that the new farm laws are beneficial to the farmers, the Chief Minister has said that Narendra Modi has been maintaining this line since the beginning, which is the reason why Punjab came out with its own bills.

Pointing out that the minimum support price (MSP) and ‘arhtiya’ or commission agent system are the backbones of Punjab’s successful agricultural model, the Chief Minister has questioned the need to change the established system.

“Will the corporates who would take the place of the arhtiyas ever care to help the farmers in times of crisis,” he has asked.

Earlier, an important meeting of farmers’ organisations was held on the Singhu border after the dialogue with the Centre remained inconclusive. Some important leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) camping on the Ghazipur border left for the Singhu border to attend this crucial meeting.

In fact, all the farmer leaders on the Singhu border were called for a meeting to ensure that a strategy is evolved to prepare for the next phase of dialogue with the government on Wednesday.

The farmers wanted to consult each other before the meeting on Wednesday. In view of this, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, Yudh Vir Singh and his other associates from Ghazipur border left for Singhu border.

The agitating farmers performed a ‘havan’ at the Ghazipur-Ghaziabad (Delhi-UP) border on Wednesday morning and expressed their anger against the Modi government. The latest round of talks between the Centre and the farmer’s organisations failed to reach a consensus on Tuesday. The farmers prayed for wisdom to prevail on the Union government. This special puja was organised praying for a calm and peaceful atmosphere at the border.

A large number of farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) are protesting against the three Union farm laws at the Ghazipur border. A farmer present at the ‘havan’ told IANS, “We want peace to prevail among all of us, all the demands made by our farmer brothers must be accepted by the Centre. Wisdom must prevail upon the Modi government about these laws. This is the reason we are conducting a puja.”

Alok Solanki, a young farmer leader of the BKU, told IANS, “The Modi government is not listening to the farmers’ demands. We are performing a puja praying to bestow wisdom on the politicians.”

On Tuesday, the 3-hour -long talks between the Central government and 35 farmers organisations failed to achieve a breakthrough. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Somprakash were present at this meeting with the farmer’s groups.

The farmers plan to continue their protests at the Tikri, Singhu, Chilla and Ghazipur borders against the farm laws. (IANS)