Farmers protesting over new agri laws set to hold talks with Centre today

 

New Delhi [India], December 30 (ANI): With a ray of hope, farmers protesting against the new farm laws are set to hold talks with the Centre. They are expected to reiterate the four-point agenda for talks including modalities to repeal farm laws and a mechanism to bring a law for providing a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

The Central government has invited the farmers' union for discussion over the new farm laws on Wednesday.

The Union Agriculture Ministry has called upon the farmers' leaders for negotiations at 2 pm today. The meeting is scheduled to be held the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal on Tuesday met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources said they discussed and finalised the government''s position for the meeting.

The agitating farmers have a clear stand that they will leave the protesting sites once the laws are revoked.

Sukhvinder Singh Sabhran, Punjab, Joint Secretary, Kisan Sangharsh Committee told ANI, "We have held 5 rounds of conversation with the government but nothing came out of it because they are only speaking about the benefits of farm laws. We do not think that the government wants to reach to some amendment in this meeting. We hope something fruitful comes out of this discussion today."

"Our intentions are that we want to produce even more wheat next time. Let everyone be in awe, after such a long front, how can farmers produce so much wheat," said another farmer.

The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint front of almost 40 farmer organisations on Tuesday wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare accepting the Centre's offer for dialogue on December 30 as the next date for the meeting.

In a letter to the Agriculture Ministry Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, the farmer unions protesting against the Centre's new agricultural laws for over a month reiterated its four-point agenda for talks including modalities to repeal farm laws and a mechanism to bring a law for providing a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Farmers are protesting on Delhi border against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.