Farmers' Protest LIVE: Ninth round of talks between Govt, unions on Friday

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: Protesting farmers burnt copies of the contentious farm laws to mark the festival of Lohri

10:04 PM

Don't believe in rumours being spread to defame stir: BKU leader to farmers

BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on Thursday wrote an open letter to farmers, urging them not believe in rumours being spread to defame their agitation against the Centre's farm laws. The BKU (Rajewal) president said rumours are being spread about the farmers' proposed tractor parade on January 26. It is being spread as if farmers will head towards the Red Fort or Parliament on January 26, Rajewal wrote in Punjabi cautioning farmers not to believe in such rumours.

He apprehended that some anti-farmer forces are desperately trying to fail their peaceful agitation. He stressed that the farmers' ongoing protest will remain peaceful. Rajewal said the outline of the 'Kisan parade' will be announced next week. Farmers had proposed to take out a tractor parade on the Republic Day if their demands were not accepted by the Centre.

Rajewal noted that an agitation will only be successful if it is completely peaceful. Rajewal said the ongoing agitation is not limited to farmers only and was receiving support of every section of society as they understand adverse implications of these laws.

8:54 PM

NGO plans to install blood count measurement machine to help farmers protesting at Singhu

Volunteers of an NGO running a medical camp at Delhi's Singhu border plan to install a machine for blood count measurements to help farmers protesting the Centre's three farm laws.

 

Sadiq Mohammad, a pharmacist and a volunteer of the NGO - Life Care Foundation - said there are a number of farmers at the border point having many underlying health conditions and the fast results generated by the Hematology analyzer could help guide the treatment of the farmers quicker.

 

The machine generates results with an hour and that is why the farmers can be given treatment faster, he said. He said the complete blood count (CBC) test helps to ascertain the blood cell, the platelet count and hemoglobin in the blood.

"This test can help us to start treatment related to skin, asthmatic, etc. The result of CBC test comes within an hour. If the result comes on time, then we can start the treatment after the result. This will be free of cost and nothing will be charged from the patients. The machine will be installed in couple of days," Sadiq said.

 

8:11 PM

First meeting of SC-appointed panel on farm laws likely on Jan 19: Member Anil Ghanwat

The Supreme Court-appointed panel on farm laws is likely to hold its first meeting on January 19 at Pusa campus here, one of its members Anil Ghanwat said on Thursday and asserted the committee will have no "ego or prestige issue" if it has to go to farmers' protest sites to talk to them.

 

The panel members were scheduled to have a virtual interaction earlier in the day to discuss its future course of action, but it could not take place after ex-MP and farmer leader Bhupinder Singh Mann recused himself from the committee. The existing members can hold their virtual interaction on Friday now, Ghanwat said, while asserting that he will not leave the committee unless asked by the apex court and he does not expect any other member to recuse.

 

On January 11, the apex court had appointed a four-member committee to look into the new farm laws against which the farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi borders for over 40 days. The court had directed the committee to hold its first sitting within 10 days and submit a report in two months.

7:51 PM

Maharashtra Congress to 'gherao' Raj Bhavan over fuel prices, farm laws

As petrol prices crossed Rs.91/litres in Mumbai on Thursday, the Maharashtra Congress announced plans to 'gherao' the Nagpur Raj Bhavan on Jan. 16, to highlight the plight of the common people and the agitating farmers, ANI reported.

 

State Congress President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the country is reeling under unprecedented hike in the prices of petrol, diesel, while lakhs of farmers are sitting in agitation outside Delhi in a never-witnessed-before opposition to the 3 farm laws.

 

"Since over 45 days, at least 60 farmers have lost their lives, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre remains insensitive to their plight. To awaken this ruthless and arrogant government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we shall 'gherao' the Nagpur Raj Bhavan on Saturday," Thorat told mediapersons.

7:24 PM

Farmer unions want talks with Govt to continue to resolve deadlock: Bharatiya Kisan Union

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the protesting farmer unions will attend the scheduled ninth round of talks with the government and asserted it is necessary to continue the dialogue to resolve the deadlock and end the agitation.

 

While the previous eight rounds of negotiations have failed to end the protests continuing for several weeks on various borders of the national capital, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said earlier in the day that the government is hopeful of positive discussions at Friday's scheduled meeting. Tikait also said the protesting unions will attend the meeting with union ministers on Friday.

 

Asked if unions have any hope from the Friday meeting, Tikait told PTI: "Let's see what happens tomorrow. But, our meetings will continue with the government till our protest ends as it is necessary."

 

"We will not oppose the meetings with the government," the BKU leader said when asked whether the Friday talks could be the last one if there is no solution. Tomar had said, "The government is ready to hold talks with farmers' leaders with an open mind."

6:47 PM

Farmers' Protest LIVE: Ninth round of talks between Govt, unions on Friday

The government's ninth round of negotiations with protesting farmer unions will take place as scheduled on Friday and the Centre is hopeful of positive discussions, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Thursday. "The government is ready to hold talks with farmers' leaders with an open mind," Tomar told reporters.

 

Clearing the confusion over the fate of the ninth round of talks, which was the only outcome in the last meeting on January 8, in the wake of the Supreme Court on January 11 appointing a four-member panel to resolve the impasse and a key member of the proposed committee subsequently recusing himself, Tomar said the talks between the government and the union representatives will take place as scheduled for 12 pm on January 15.

 

The farmer unions have been maintaining that they were ready to attend the scheduled talks with the government, even as they have said they do not want to appear before the court-appointed panel and have also questioned its composition. READ ON...

6:15 PM

Protesting farmer unions welcome BKU's decision, but say will not accept any committee

Protesting farmer leaders welcomed Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann's decision on Thursday to recuse himself from a Supreme Court-appointed committee, and reiterated that they do not want any panel and will not settle for anything less than the repeal of the three contentious laws. They said the other three members of the committee should follow suit as the agitating unions had never demanded formation of any committee to resolve the impasse between farmers and the Centre over the new agri laws.

 

Some leaders also invited Mann to join the agitation against the legislations. Mann said he is thankful to the apex court for nominating him on the panel but would give up any position to prevent farmers' interests from being compromised. Farmer unions and opposition parties had raised doubts over the composition of the panel, insisting that its members have been in favour of the three laws in the past.

 

"Mann's decision is a good step as there is no importance of any committee for farmer unions as it has not been our demand. Mann knew that no farmer union would appear before the court-appointed committee that's why he has taken this decision," farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni told PTI.

5:58 PM

Govt ready to hold talks with farmers' leaders, as scheduled on Jan 15, with open mind: Agriculture Minister

5:25 PM

'Truly' independent persons should have been appointed on panel on farm laws: Sharad Pawar

"Truly independent" persons should have been appointed on the committee formed by the Supreme Court to resolve the impasse over new farm laws, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday. The apex court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the new farm laws and set up a four-member committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmer unions agitating at Delhi borders.

 

Speaking to reporters here, Pawar, a former Union agriculture minister, said the agitating farmers do not have faith in the panel as these members were said to have supported the new farm laws of the Centre in the past.

 

"Hence, the farmers don't think anything will come out of discussions with the committee. And I agree with them. It would have been better if independent -- in a true sense independent -- persons had been appointed," he said.

4:54 PM

Whenever Indian farmers are weak, India is weak: Rahul Gandhi

4:08 PM

Stores closed by farmer protests cost Reliance, Walmart millions in revenue

Dozens of Reliance Industries’ retail stores and a giant Walmart outlet face revenue losses of millions of dollars after being forced to shut for more than three months over protests against India’s new farm laws, sources said.

 

Thousands of farmers from states including northern Punjab have camped for weeks on the outskirts of the capital, in a bid to force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the laws they contend will benefit corporates, rather than cultivators.

 

Fears of farmers’ agitation in Punjab, home to many protest leaders, have stoked companies’ fears over vandalism and the safety of employees, prompting the closure of dozens of shops, store employees and industry sources said. READ ON...

 

3:46 PM

Govt not neglecting farmers, but conspiring to destroy them, says Rahul Gandhi

3:27 PM

Govt conspiring to destroy farmers, alleges Rahul Gandhi on new farm laws

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the contentious new farm laws, alleging that the government was "conspiring to destroy" the ryots and assured that his party will stand with them. Speaking to reporters here, the Lok Sabha MP also accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of trying to benefit "two or three of their friends" on the matter.

 

"The government is not just neglecting them (farmers), the government is conspiring to destroy them. There is a difference. Neglecting is ignoring...they are not ignoring them," he said in response to a query. "They are trying to destroy them, because they want to benefit two or three of their friends. They want to give what belongs to the farmer to two or three of their friends," he alleged.

 

Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against the new Central farm laws outside Delhi, demanding for their repeal.

3:09 PM

New agri laws will leave farmers at mercy of big corporates: TMC

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday claimed that the new agriculture laws will leave small and marginal farmers at the mercy of big corporates and demanded that the legislation should be immediately repealed. Prices of vegetables such as potatoes and onions have skyrocketed as these have been taken off the essential commodities list, the party's Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, adding that the concept of Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been totally bypassed.

 

The way the Centre hurriedly passed the farm laws through an ordinance without going for a parliamentary debate clearly shows that the Union government is anti-farmer and anti-people, she told reporters.

 

"Farmers will now be forced to sell their produce to big corporates at prices dictated by the firms. In case of a crop failure, however, these companies are not bound to buy the produce from the agriculturists," the MP said.

2:59 PM

Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann recuses himself from SC committee on farm laws

Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, who was one of the four members of the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws, on Thursday said he is recusing himself from the panel.

 

Mann said he is thankful to the apex court for nominating him on the committee but would sacrifice any position offered to him so as not to compromise the interests of farmers.

2:55 PM

Are you Prime Minister of people of India or of 2-3 selected businessmen?: Rahul attacks PM Modi

2:53 PM

Government trying to destroy farmers because they want two or three of their friends to benefit: Rahul Gandhi

2:40 PM

Government will be forced to take these three Farm Laws back: Rahul Gandhi

2:03 PM

Farmers' protest enters 50th day amid biting cold, fog

Camping at protest sites near Delhi's borders for around 50 days now, braving severe cold and dense fog, farmers on Thursday asserted that their stir against the new agriculture laws will intensify in the coming days. On the day of Makar Sankranti on Thursday, Delhi woke up to dense fog and low visibility.

 

Demonstrators led by the leaders of 40 farmers' organisations have been camping at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders, demanding the withdrawal of the new farm laws.

 

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Pal Majra told IANS that the protesting farmers have been braving the harsh winter, day and night, for over one and a half months, unrelenting in their demand for the withdrawal of the legislations. Another farmer leader from Ludhiana, Avtar Singh Mehlon said that the farmers have been fighting for their rights and the movement will continue until their demands are met.

1:44 PM

Centre should scrap new farm laws: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to honour the sentiments of protesting farmers and scrap new controversial farm laws, and said he will "grow bigger" in stature by doing so. An editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' also accused the Centre of trying to end the farmers' protest by using the Supreme Court as the front.

 

The SC on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a four- member committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.

 

The editorial said the deadlock over the issue continues despite the SC's decision, and noted that the farmers' bodies have rejected the committee's four members as they allegedly supported the farm laws earlier.

12:42 PM

Will try to bring a pro-farmer and good budget for the state: Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

I will try to bring a pro-farmer and good budget for the state: Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

10:30 AM

Autorickshaw drivers at Singhu border say that they are facing hardship due to farmer's agitation

Autorickshaw drivers at Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana) say that they are facing hardship due to farmer's agitation against Centre's farm laws

 

"We are not allowed to cross Singhu border due to protest. We drop passenger ahead of protest site," says Akhilesh, an autorickshaw driver.

9:31 AM

Centre misleading country, Supreme Court on farm laws: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of misleading the country and the Supreme Court by claiming that pre-legislative consultations were held prior to the passage of the three farm laws and claimed this amounted to contempt of court.

2:38 AM

Farmer group halts Janhvi Kapoor's shoot, filming resumes after assurance of support to protesters

Shooting of actor Janhvi Kapoor's film "Good Luck Jerry" briefly came to a halt in Bassi Pathana here, after a group of farmers insisted that she make a comment on the ongoing farmers' protest.
 

Kapoor is shooting for the film, produced by filmmaker Anand L Rai's Colour Yellow Productions and directed by Sidharth Sengupta, in Punjab.
 

According to Sukhminder Singh Chauhan, DSP, Bassi Pathana, the incident happened on Monday after 20-30 farmers reached the movie sets for a "peaceful" protest.
 

"The shooting had stopped for two-three hours on January 11. There wasn't anything major. Around 20-30 people had reached the set. It was a peaceful agitation.
 

"All they wanted was assurance of support from them (the actors). When they did, the shoot was resumed. It was mutually resolved. Now the shoot is going on smoothly," Chauhan told PTI on Wednesday.
 

On Monday, the "Dhadak" actor shared an Instagram Story in support of the farmers. Unlike other posts, Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours from the time they are published.
 

"Farmers are at the heart of our country. I recognise and value the role that they play in feeding our nation. I hope a resolution is reached soon that benefits the farmers," Kapoor had written.
 

2:37 AM

Lohri celebrated by farmers protesting agri laws in Noida

Scores of farmers protesting against the new farm laws in Noida celebrated Lohri, the harvest festival, with 'revri', popcorns and bonfires in bone-chilling weather on Wednesday night.
 

Farmers belonging to Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) are camping at the Chilla border and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) have dug their heels at the Dalit Prerna Sthal since first week of December.
 

The festival of Lohri was celebrated by the protestors even as the minimum temperature plunged to 5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum was recorded at 17 degrees Celsius with dense fog during the morning hours, according to the weather department.
 

BKU (Lok Shakti) welcomed the Supreme Court's stand on the contentious issue but expressed dissatisfaction with the four-member committee formed by it.

The apex court had Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three new farm laws, enacted in September last year, till further orders, and announced the four-member panel to resolve the deadlock between protestors and the Centre.
 

Bhupinder Singh Mann, President of Bhartiya Kisan Union; Anil Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sangthana, Maharashtra; Pramod Kumar Joshi, director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati have been named in the panel.
 

"We welcome the Supreme Court's decision. But at the same time, we are sceptical about the members chosen in the panel because they have previously appeared to be in favour of the new laws," BKU (Lok Shakti) spokesperson Shailesh Kumar Giri said.
 

"We mean no contempt of the apex court but ... ye to aisa hua jaisa billi ko doodh ki rakhwali ke liye laga diya ho (it is like having cats guard your milk)," Giri said, expressing apprehension over the panel's neutrality on the issue.
 

Around 50 members of BKU (Lok Shakti), including its chief Sheoraj Singh, celebrated the harvest festival at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida on Wednesday night, distributing 'revri', popcorns and performing rituals before the bonfire.
 

2:37 AM

New farm laws to benefit capitalists not cultivators: Baghel

The Centre's new farm laws will benefit capitalists and not cultivators, and it is unfortunate that peasants are being troubled by the NDA government in an agrarian country, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Wednesday.
 

According to a statement issued by the Maharashtra Congress, Baghel made the remarks at an event held in Sangamner in Ahmednagar district.

The event was also attended by Maharashtra ministers Balasaheb Thorat and Jayant Patil.
 

The Centres new farm laws have benefited capitalists and traders and not the farmers. It is unfortunate the Centre is troubling farmers in an agrarian country, Baghel said, according to the statement.
 

The Congress CM accused the Centre of deliberately ignoring the farmers who have been protesting outside Delhi against the new agri-marketing laws which were passed by Parliament in September last year.
 

Baghel said the Nyay scheme (minimum income guarantee plan for the poor) envisaged by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has given momentum to Chhattisgarhs development.
 

Baghel praised Thorat over the latters cooperative model in the rural belt of Maharashtra and added it will be useful also for Chhattisgarh and other states of the country.
 

Global Teacher Prize winner Ranjitsinh Disale was felicitated during the event among others, the statement said.
 

2:36 AM

Lohri celebrated with traditional fervour in Punjab, Haryana

The festival of Lohri was celebrated with traditional fervour in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Wednesday.
 

Bonfires, an important part of the festivities, were lit as families danced to the tunes of famous festival songs like "Sundar mundriye ho".
 

During the day, children and youngsters held kite-flying competitions at many places, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.
 

Amid the ongoing farmers' protest against the Centre's three farm laws, kites with messages of 'No Farmer No Food', 'Kisan' and 'Kisan Ekta Zindabad' written on them were a hit among the youths.
 

The sky was dotted with multi-coloured kites of different sizes and shapes carrying 'Happy Lohri' messages.

Traditionally, Lohri celebrates the onset of the harvest season in Punjab.
 

Women in traditional attire performed Gidha, a folk dance, at many places.
 

People also distributed jaggery, peanuts, and popcorns--the three edibles associated with Lohri.
 

2:36 AM

Farmers can't expect justice from apex court's panel: UP Cong chief

Uttar Pradesh state Congress president Ajai Kumar Lallu on Wednesday asserted that farmers protesting against the three central farm laws cannot expect justice from the Supreme Court-appointed panel because four of its members have already favoured the laws in past.
 

Talking to reporters here, Lallu said with the apex court intervening in the matter, the farmers had expected that it would repeal the law.
 

But with the Supreme Court merely staying their implementation, the farmers are worried and they will not be satisfied with anything less than the repeal of those laws, Lallu added.
 

“Since all the four members of the apex court-appointed committee had publicly expressed their views in favour of the laws passed by the Centre, justice cannot be expected,” said Lallu.
 

When the Supreme Court intervened in the matter taking note of the plight of farmers sitting under the open sky in the chilling cold, the farmers expected the repeal of the law by the court, but they have been dismayed over the apex court's order.
 

The UP Congress chief made these remarks while interacting with reporters on the Yamuna Expressway while on his way back to Lucknow from Agra, where he had appeared in a court for lawmakers to seek bail in a case of disobeying government officials and violating various provisions of the Epidemic Act in May last year.
 

Lallu had appeared in Agra's MP/MLA court along with his party colleagues Pradeep Mathur and Vivek Bansal.
 

The trio had been booked on May 19, 2020 by Fatehpur Sikri police under sections 188 and 269 of the Indian Penal Code and section (2)4 of the Epidemic Act when they had visited Agra with a fleet of over 800 buses to hand them over to the UP government to ferry migrants workers on their long march back home amid the Covid lockdown.
 

The trio was granted bail by Additional District Judge Umakant Zindal.
 

10:34 PM

Centre should immediately repeal farm laws, no committee can do it: AAP

A day after the Supreme Court set up a four-member committee to end the impasse over new farm laws, the AAP on Wednesday demanded that the Centre immediately repeal the legislations as no panel can do it. Addressing a press conference, AAP spokesperson and MLA Raghav Chadha said all the four members of the Supreme Court-appointed panel to provide justice to the farmers protesting against the laws have earlier supported these legislations.

The protesting farmers have demanded repeal of the laws. "We believe that this power is with the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and no committee or panel can do this work," he said. Chadha claimed that panel member B S Mann who has supported these farm laws is a confidant of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

While eight rounds of negotiations so far between the government and a representative-group of thousands of farmers protesting against three farm laws have failed to resolve the crisis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three Acts till further orders and set up a four-member committee to end the impasse.

10:09 PM

Farmers have got Rs 90,000 crore in claims under PMFBY, says Tomar

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said that over millions of farmers have been linked to Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and claims of Rs 90,000 crore have been settled under in five years from 2014. "In this largest agriculture insurance scheme of the world, farmers have got Rs 90,000 crore in claims," he said. Tomar said crop insurance is "suraksha kavach (security shield)" for farmers from crop losses due to natural disasters.

He said success achieved in completing a five-year journey of the scheme has yielded many experiences. "We all know the importance of agriculture in our country. Agriculture provides employment to almost half of the country's population. There was a time when we used to worry about food. There was a time when we used to be concerned about foodgrains, but with the farmer-friendly policies of the government, hard work of the farmers and research of our agricultural scientists, today our concern is not about production but how to manage the production," Tomar said.