Farmers Continue To Protest After No Breakthrough With Centre, Next Talks On Dec 9, Bharat Bandh On Dec 8 | Key Points

Talks between farmers and Centre failed yet again on Saturday but Farmers' representatives have agreed to the next round of talks on December 9. Farmers have declared a Bharat Bandh on December 8 and have decided to block all roads in the country to mount pressure on the Centre to roll back the 3 Farm Laws.

Farmers' Protest:  After the 5th round of talks yielded zero results on Saturday, farmers protesting the centre's new farm laws have agreed to a sixth round of talks scheduled for Wednesday. Meanwhile, the government has assured farmers that MSP will continue and there is no threat to it as the Narendra Modi government was fully committed to farmers and will remain so in the future.

Farmers' Protest LIVE Protest

These are the key points of the farmers' protest:

• Over four hours into Saturday's meeting farmers' representatives resorted to 'Maun Vrat' refusing to engage with the centre; they held up placards that said "Yes Or No?". The (unasked but implicit) question was "Will the centre scrap the farm laws?" Earlier they also threatened to walk out over "meaningless" discussions, but were persuaded to return to their seats.


• 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.


• 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.


•  Farmer leaders communicated that they will hold “Bharat Bandh” on December 8 as their demands haven’t been met. An all-India strike has been scheduled for Tuesday and farmers camped out around the national capital have warned they will block all roads leading to the city and occupy highways across the country in an attempt to increase pressure on the centre. A top traders' body has backed this call.

• Saturday's talks - the third this week and fifth overall - began after a high-level meet between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior cabinet ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah.


• Speaking to media persons after the meeting with farmers, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “I want to assure farmers that Modi govt was fully committed to you, & will remain so in future. Under PM Modi’s leadership, several agricultural schemes have been implemented. Budget & MSP has also increased.”


•  Citing the winter season, the minister also 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 the future. In the past 6 years, many positive developments took: farmers’ income has increased, MSP has increased, government purchase has increased…,” said Tomar.


•  Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh was spotted at Singhu border in the National Capital Region (NCR), extending support to the farmers agitating against the three new farm laws brought in by the central government. Diljit urged the government to accept the demands of the farmer.