Centre, Farmers To Hold Another Round Of Talks Today As Protesters Threaten To Intensify Stir

Ahead of crucial talks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for discussions.

New Delhi: Makeshift tents of farmers agitating against new farm laws at Ghazipur border, in New Delhi, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)(PTI01_03_2021_000190B)

Farmers' Protest: The farmers who are protesting since over a month now at the borders of Delhi, will be meeting the Centre on Monday for the eighth round of talks after some breakthrough was achieved in the previous talks over removal of penal provisions for stubble burning and the proposed Electricity Amendment Act. The protesting farmers have already given an ultimatum regarding intensifying their agitation if the talks failed, even as the government is trying to strike a middle path for the resolution of the issue. The agitators  had announced to hold a parade in the national capital on the occasion of the Republic Day (January 26) if their demands are not met by then. They declared that they would march into the city on their tractors and trolleys after the end of the official parade. Ahead of crucial talks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for discussions The farmers leaders also made their position clear, giving message to the government through media, that it should repeal the three central farm acts or use force to evict them. Their declaration came as their ongoing protest entered its 38th day on Saturday after six round of government-farmer talks, of which only the last one -- on December 30 -- saw some agreement come on the farmers' demands. The talks on Monday will deal with the demand to rollback the three acts and give a legal status to the MSP. After the sixth round of formal negotiations on Wednesday, the government and farm unions reached some common ground to resolve protesting farmers' concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of the new farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP. Braving the cold, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against these laws.