New Delhi: Even as the fourth round of talks between the Centre and the representatives of agitating farmers at the Vigyan Bhawan on Thursday failed to reach any conclusion, the government gave adequate hints of softening its stance on some demands of the farmers, protesting against the new farm laws. The next round of talks will now be held on December 5.
The meeting, which lasted for seven-and-a-half hours, started at Vigyan Bhavan on Thursday at 12.30 pm in the presence of Tomar, Railway and Commerce, and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash. The government had requested the farmers` representatives to submit their objections in writing so that each point could be discussed, which the farmers did.
More than 40 farmer organizations took part in the talks while this number was 35 in the third round of talks. The government is understood to have told the representatives of farmers that the farm laws won`t be rolled back, but added that it is considering to take some new measures on some of their demands. Regarding apprehensions about the APMCs (mandis), the government is learned to have said that it is planning to start the registration of traders.
After a long meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the next meeting on December 5 is going to be conclusive, while the farmer leaders said that they won`t step back till all the three farm laws are repealed. "The Central government has no ego and it is having a discussion with the farmers with an open mind. We are with the farmers. Positive results can be achieved only through fruitful discussions," he added.
Almost all the farmers` representatives demanded to withdraw the farm laws as well as the proposed penalty on stubble burning. They also expressed their displeasure over the Electricity Amendment Act, which is yet to come, besides expressing their apprehensions over the APMCs (mandis) and discontinuation of the minimum support price (MSP) system.
Tomar assured them that the government will consider all their demands. He said the MSP will continue as before, and assured them that the government will also consider the ways to empower the APMCs and increase their utility in the future. The farmers were also assured that the government will also consider equality of taxes in the private mandis which are peripheries of the APMCs.
Further, they were also assured that the government will consider the registration of traders to trade agricultural produce outside the APMCs. It will see whether the SDM or the court will intervene in case of any dispute. On apprehensions about contract farming, Tomar said that written agreement of the farmer`s land cannot be done in any condition, yet if there is any doubt the government is ready to address it.
According to the government, there has been an agreement with farmers on some points, but the union leaders are not ready to withdraw their agitation as they still insist on completely repealing the three new farm laws- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Now, the farmer organisations would meet on Friday at 11 am to take a collective call for the next round of talks with the government on December 7. Although some farmer leaders admitted that things have moved forward, but they are not in a mood to withdraw their movement.
Earlier in the day, the meeting started at 12.25 with farmer leaders aggressively citing the faults of the new farm laws. The Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sanjay Agarwal gave a detailed description of the Farms Acts and the measures taken by the Ministry of Agriculture for the welfare of farmers and those measures taken to benefit agriculture during the lockdown period to keep the supply chains active.
Agarwal said that the new Farm laws have been framed keeping in mind the farmers' welfare, but farmer leaders did not appear satisfied. The third round of talks started at 6.50 pm but it ended at 7:30 pm without any conclusion.
Ahead of the talks, a meeting was also held between Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. During this meeting, Amarinder Singh urged the government for the early resolution of the dispute. After this meeting, CM Amarinder said, "I came to meet the Home Minister to reiterate our position and to make a request to him and the farmers to resolve this soon because this (agitation) affects the economy of my Punjab as well as the security of the nation."
The Punjab CM's statement justified the stand of Zee News that some anti-national elements are trying to hijack this agitation. When it was earlier reported that Khalistani supporters have entered into this movement, Zee News was trolled on social media and was termed anti-farmer.
This fear of Punjab CM is obvious because the state shares a border of over 500 kilometers with the neighbouring nation of Pakistan, which is likely to take advantage of this situation to activate anti-India forces. In the 1980s, Punjab has witnessed a dark phase of terrorism that lasted till 1990, but it also witnessed the tragic demise of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
In the name of this movement, Indians settled abroad are also being instigated by Khalistani terror organizations. The name of one such organization, Sikh For Justice, came to the fore for extending monetary help of Rs 7.5 crores to the agitating farmers. Looking at these developments, Captain Amarinder Singh's apprehension has a concrete edifice of fear.
Notably, several people have come forward to return their award in protest against the Centre's new farm laws. Of these personalities, Akali Dal veteran and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal returned his Padma Vibhushan award. In a separate announcement, dissident Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa also said he will return the Padma Bhushan conferred on him last year.
Meanwhile, 27 players have also announced to return their awards received from the government to express their solidarity with the farmers' movement. The biggest name among these players is of Pargat Singh, former captain of the Indian hockey team. In 1998, Pargat Singh was awarded the Padma Shri.
