Farmers' protests LIVE: Talks have made little progress, say unions

Farmers protest LIVE updates Day 8: Agitating farmers have urged the Union government to convene a special session of Parliament to repeal farm laws. Stay tuned for latest updates on farmers' protest

2:05 AM

Mamata expresses concerns over anti-farm law protests

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her concerns over the ongoing anti-farm law protests being staged by the agitating farmers. "I am very much concerned about the farmers, their lives and livelihoods. The government of India must withdraw the anti-farmer laws. If it doesn't do so immediately, we will agitate throughout the state and the country. From the very start, we have been strongly opposing these anti-farmer laws," she tweeted. She said that the Centre is selling everything. "You cannot sell Railways, Air India, Coal, BSNL, BHEL, banks, defence etc," the CM said, giving an ultimatum to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government to withdraw the ill-conceived disinvestment and privatisation policy.

"We must not allow the treasures of our nation to be transformed into BJP's personal assets," she added. Banerjee said that her party, the Trinamool Congress, is slated to meet on Friday to discuss the issue internally. "We have called a meeting of the the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) on Friday. We will discuss how the Essential Commodities Act is impacting the common people and resulting in sky rocketing prices," the CM said, adding that the Central government must withdraw this anti-people law.

Meanwhile, Banerjee on Thursday also announced that the state government would give 3 per cent DA to all its employees in January 2021. "We give DA to all state government employees in January. This time also there will be no change. We will give 3 per cent DA to to them in January next year," she said.

1:50 AM

Protesting farmers step up agitation, block Ghaziabad-Delhi stretch on NH-9

Scaling up their stir against the Centre's new farm laws, thousands of protesting farmers from Uttar Pradesh blocked National Highway-9 near the UP Gate on Thursday while those from Punjab and Haryana stayed put at other border points leading to the national capital as they remained adamant on their demands. The protesting farmers had on Wednesday threatened to block other roads of Delhi in the coming days if the new agriculture laws are not scrapped soon.

Security personnel at border points - Singhu, Tikri, Chilla and Ghazipur - stand guard, with the ongoing protests entering their eighth day. The demonstrations are expected to continue as talks between three union ministers and a representative group of thousands of agitating farmers failed to yield any resolution on Thursday. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Naresh Tikait held a 'maha panchayat' at one of the protest sites -- Gazipur border. He said there was no midway for settlement on the issue of MSP, adding that the government must give assurance in writing to farmers.

Thousands of farmers, who were staying put at the Ghazipur Border under a flyover, suddenly started gathering with tractors at the NH-9 on Thursday leading to disruption of traffic from Ghaziabad to Delhi and later blockade of the busy stretch. "The local police have closed the routes on NH-9 and NH-24 from Ghaziabad to Delhi. On NH-1, both sides of the route have been closed near Shani Mandir," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted. Farmers from several districts of western Uttar Pradesh continued their sit-in demonstration at the Chilla Border between Noida and Delhi amid heavy deployment of security personnel.

The protest also led to partial closure of a key road connecting Noida and Delhi. One carriageway of the Delhi-Noida Link road from Delhi to Noida - was open for commuters, while the other side --- Noida to Delhi remained closed, causing inconvenience to travellers.

1:50 AM

Nashik: Farmers' organisations protest against new farm laws

Several farmers' organisations on Thursday held a protest in Nashik city of Maharashtra against the new farm laws brought by the Centre. The organisations, including Shetkari Samanvay Samiti, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, Prahar, Janshakti, Chhava and Krantiveer, held demonstrations at the district collectorate in Nashik to express their solidarity with the farmers agitating in New Delhi.

They demanded that these farm laws should be rolled back immediately and warned of intensifying their agitation. The organisations alleged that due to the new farm laws, farmers and their lands will be at the mercy of the capitalists and these legislations have been passed for a few industrialists in the country.

Meanwhile, the city and district units of the Congress party also held protests against the new farm laws, alleging that the government was anti-farmers. The agitators said the Centre should cancel the law by December end.

11:43 PM

Said whoever commits suicide is coward, never said farmers are cowards: Karnataka minister

I'd said that whoever commits suicide is coward, never said farmers are cowards. They're nation's backbone. Govt has to look after them & ensure they don't commit suicide. History says suicide is cowardice. Not just farmers, whoever commits suicide is coward. Being the Agriculture Minister, I spoke about farmers. I have said farmers shouldn't commit suicide therefore there is no question of apology. Farmers have to live a good life, that's our intention, for that, we are doing our wor: BC Patil, K'taka Min

10:46 PM

94% farmers selling produce on MSP in Chhattisgarh: Govt

Over 94 per cent farmers in Chhattisgarh are getting benefit of the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy and it is expected to rise by two percentage points this year, an official statement said Thursday. Due to the policies of the state government, the number of farmers selling paddy in the state has increased from 12 lakh to 18.38 lakh, Chhattisgarh Information Centre said in a statement here. It said 94 per cent of farmers are getting benefit from the state government's paddy purchase at the support price. The statement said that due to "farmer-friendly policies of the Bhupesh Baghel government, not only the acreage of agriculture has increased in the last two years, but the people who had abandoned farming as a non-profit business are once again coming back towards farming."

In Chhattisgarh, where 76 per cent of the farmers sold paddy on MSP in 2017, after the Bhagel government came to power, it has shown an unprecedented growth and the figure reached 92.61 per cent in 2018 and 94.02 per cent in 2019, it said. This year, over 2 lakh new farmers have registered, so the figure is expected to cross 98 per cent. Paddy procurement has started in Chhattisgarh on support price from December 1, the statement said. Over 21 lakh farmers have registered to sell paddy in the state this year and the area where the paddy is sown is more than 27 lakh hectare, it said. In two years, the area has increased from 19.36 lakh hectare to 22.68 lakh hectare and the number of farmers has also increased from over 12 lakh to 18 lakh, the information centre said.

10:15 PM

Delhi SGMC sends legal notice to Kangana Ranaut over her tweet targeting farmers

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee member sends legal notice to Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut over her tweet allegedly targeting farmers protesting against new farm laws

9:03 PM

Govt to meet farmers' unions again Saturday, says it 'has no ego'

Government ministers and farmers’ leaders will meet again Saturday to try and break a deadlock over laws passed earlier this year seeking to deregulate the agriculture sector that has ignited the country’s biggest farm protests in years.

 

"Some points have been raised in previous meetings and today's meet. Farmer unions are mainly concerned about these. The government has no ego; it is discussing with farmers with an open mind,” said Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar after a third round of talks that lasted almost seven hours.

 

Tens of thousands of growers have camped out at the entrance to capital Delhi in protest against the laws seeking to rid the sector of antiquated procurement procedures and to allow farmers to sell to institutional buyers and big international retailers. The farmers fear the laws passed in September could pave the way for the government to stop buying grains at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers. READ ON...

9:00 PM

LIVE: MSP will not be touched, Agriculture Minister assures farmer leaders

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday told the farmer representatives during their meeting that the minimum support price (MSP) "will not be touched and no changes will be made to it". The minister made the remarks during the fourth round of talks of government with representatives of protesting farmers at Vigyan Bhavan here.

 

MSP has been a major concern of farmers during their protest in border areas of Delhi against three farm laws enacted by the government recently. The government has repeatedly said that MSP will continue. The next round of talks is scheduled for December 5.

 

The farmers are protesting 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.

8:55 PM

Farmers' protest LIVE: Key routes connecting Delhi with Uttar Pradesh closed

8:50 PM

Govt also ready to make a provision for registration of traders operating outside APMC mandis

8:42 PM

LIVE: DMK to stage demonstrations in support of protesting farmers in Delhi

DMK President M K Stalin will lead party-sponsored demonstrations in different cities of the state on Saturday in support of farmers protesting at the Delhi border against the Centre's new farm laws, the party said. Stalin will participate in the protest at Salem, the native district of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami, according to a party release here on Thursday.

 

DMK General Secretary Durai Murugan, party Treasurer and Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu will participate in protests at Vellore and Mayiladuthurai, respectively.

 

Agitations will also be held in Tiruchirappally, Erode, Namakkal and Tiruvannamalai among others.

8:30 PM

Govt holding talks and will definitely reach to a solution: Agriculture Minister

8:22 PM

LIVE: Farmers' protests gain momentum in Rajasthan

Protests against the Centre's new farm laws gained momentum in Rajasthan on Thursday as farmer organisations blocked roads and held demonstrations and rallies in solidarity with thousands gathered at the national capital's borders as part of their 'Delhi Chalo' march. A group of farmers, under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti, held a protest at Jaipur's Surajpole mandi and blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway for nearly an hour to demand a repeal of the laws.

 

Another group staged a protest on the Rajasthan-Haryana border in Alwar district and said their numbers would rise if the Centre failed to fulfil their demands. Thousands of farmers are now camping at the border of Delhi, demanding the repeal of the three Acts that they say will lead to the phasing out of the minimum support price (MSP) system, which the government denies. Farmer unions have also called for a nationwide protest on Saturday.

 

"The Centre should withdraw the farm laws immediately. Such a large number of farmers are raising their voices against the anti-farmer laws but the government is taking no step to fulfil the demands," CPI(M) leader Ravindra Shukla said.

8:21 PM

Issue is about the complete roll back of farm laws: Bharatiya Kisan Union

8:16 PM

Talks have made little progress: Farmers' union