Agriculture Min meets Amit Shah as protests over new farm bills continue

Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Som Parkash met Home Minister Amit Shah amidst farmers' protests against the Centre's three agriculture laws, officials said

Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Som Parkash met Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday amidst farmers' protests against the Centre's three agriculture laws, officials said.

The ministers were accompanied by BJP leaders from Punjab.

Tomar and Parkash, along with their ministerial colleague Piyush Goyal, had led the government's negotiations with the protesting farmers.

Tomar and Parkash met the home minister, an official said. It was not immediately known what transpired in the meeting.

Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders demanding the repeal of the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.