No hurry to go back. After the 5th round of the Centre-farmers talks on Saturday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar reiterates the government's assurance to farmers that MSP will continue and that there is no threat to it as the Narendra Modi government is fully committed to farmers and will remain so in the future. However, the talks remained inconclusive once again and the next meeting has been scheduled for December 9.
Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting with farmers, Tomar said: “We have told the farmers that MSP will continue. There is no need to be doubtful about MSP, and there is no threat to it.” He insisted that the Centre is ready to address all issues of farmers on MSP. “APMC (agricultural produce market committee) belongs to the state government and the government has no intention to impact the state mandis nor are they affected legally. Government is willing do whatever is required to strengthen the APMC. If anybody has an issue with APMC, then government is willing to resolve it,” Tomar added.
After a marathon meeting of close to 5 hours, he said the government will consider all their aspects and is willing to consider suggestions from farmers to resolve all the issues in connection with the recently enacted farm laws. However, the government could not get any suggestions from the farmers and the next meeting is scheduled for December 9, Tomar added.
Citing the winter season, he urged the farmer union leaders to send back the elderly and children. “The Narendra Modi government is committed for farmers and it will remain so in future. In past 6 years, many positive developments took: farmers’ income has increased, MSP has increased, government purchase has increased…,” said Tomar.
Earlier in the day, heated arguments and written placards in “Yes or No” were raised in the five-hour meeting that began at 2 p.m. at Vigyan Bhawan in Central Delhi. After multiple obstacles, the talks finally ended with no conclusion as the farmers stuck to their first and major demand to repeal the three farms laws enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
As the government could not put up a satisfactory solution to the demands of 40 farmer union leaders, who took part in the meeting, the delegation clearly communicated that the protest will continue if the government doesn’t repeal the three laws which they said are “anti-farmer”.
While the government was agreeable to amendments to The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, farmers were pushing for the scrapping of these laws.
Farmer leaders communicated that they will hold “Bharat Bandh” on December 8 as their demands haven’t been met.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State Som Prakash and Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal were also present in the meeting, like in the previous rounds of talks on December 1 and 3 which were also remained inconclusive.
The farmers had put out a five-point charter of demands that include framing of a specific law on MSP, no punishment for stubble-burning, repeal of the three farm laws, settlement of objections about proposed Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2020 and written assurance on MSP.
Thousands of protesters have blocked Delhi borders at five points connecting it to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Even as the fifth round of talks between the farmers leaders and the Central government were on, farmers at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh Ghazipur border vowed to celebrate Republic Day there on January 26 if the government does not accept their demand to repeal the three agri laws and guarantee the minimum support price (MSP).
Yoginder Singh, a farmer from Bulandshahr in UP, who has been protesting for the last eight days said, “My son Oawan is set to get married tomorrow on December 6. And I am here and will not go home to attend the ceremony as this protest is meant for our future.”
He said he has made adequate arrangements at home for the marriage and in his absence his relatives will perform the wedding rituals.
Singh added that he will stay in Delhi if the government does not accept the demands of the farmers.
“Even if I have to stay here for a year, I will celebrate Republic Day, Holi and Diwali below this flyover for our rights,” he added.
Another farmer from Bulandshahr Dayabad Singh said, “Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat Chief Minister in 2011, had written to then Prime minister Manmohan Singh demanding MSP for farmers. And now as he is in power he should approve the same instead of talking everytime and making false promises to farmers.”
Jagdish Singh Rathi arrived at the Ghazipur border last Saturday, which he says was the second day of the farmers protest at the Delhi border.
He said, “We have very little faith in the government as it has not been honest with farmers and never fulfilled promises made to the farmers.”
“Now we have demanded only one thing from the government, accept our demands in writing, till then we are not going back from here,” Rathi said.
When asked what if the talks with the government on Saturday remain inconclusive, he said, “We have given a call for a Bharat Bandh on December 8. We are not going to leave from here and will celebrate January 26 here only.”
He added that the farmers are ready to take on the government if their demands are not met.
Meanwhile, a number of farmers were seen preparing food for the people who have arrived to join the protest.
Food was also being brought from the nearby Gurudwara for the agitating farmers.
Earlier in the day, farmers blocked NH 24 that connects Meerut with Delhi.
The farmers protest entered the 10th day on Saturday. Thousands of farmers have been agitating at several border points of Delhi.
The farmers are demanding the repeal of the three Farm Laws and a guarantee on MSP. (IANS)