New Delhi: With the Centre-farmer talks ending in a stalemate, thousands of farmers stayed put at Delhi borders on Wednesday to press for repeal of the agri marketing laws.
A meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah ended in failure on Tuesday night as farmer leaders rejected the government’s offer to amend new farm laws, saying they would settle for nothing less than the scrapping of the legislations.
The sixth round of talks between the government and farmer unions to end the protests on Delhi’s various borders, which was scheduled on Wednesday, has been cancelled.
“Today’s meeting with farmer unions’ leaders has been cancelled,” a Union Agriculture Ministry’s spokesperson told PTI.
This comes after many farm leaders had threatened to boycott the talks.
There was no official confirmation whether the government has sent a written proposal to farmer unions on key amendments to some of the provisions of the three farm laws. The Home Minister’ meeting on Tuesday with a select group of union leaders that included Hannan Mollah of the All India Kisan Sabha and Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) had failed to break the ice.
In the meeting, Shah had offered amendments to some of the provisions of the three farm laws in writing. But many farm leaders had said they will not attend Wednesday’s meeting and that they will take a call on their next course of action after studying the government’s written proposal on Wednesday.
No breakthrough has been possible in the five rounds of talks so far as the protesting farmers have stuck to their demand for the repeal of the laws despite the government’s assurance to look into specific issues without abolishing the legislations.
In the previous meeting on December 5, Agriculture Minister Narender Singh Tomar had assured 40 farmer union leaders that the government is open to considering ways to strengthen APMC mandis, create a level-playing field with proposed private markets, and provide a provision for approaching higher courts for dispute resolution, while asserting that procurement at minimum support price (MSP) will continue.
But the protesting farmer unions’ leaders are insisting that the laws must be scrapped.
As the protests continued, traffic was disrupted at border points with farmers agitating on the Singhu, TIkri and Ghazipur borders of Delhi.
Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Traffic Police alerted commuters about that the Tikri, Jharoda, Dhansa Borders are closed for any traffic movement. However, Jhatikara border is open only for two-wheelers and pedestrian movement.
It also said that those travelling to Haryana can take Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera Borders.
“Singhu, Auchandi, Piao Maniyari, Mangesh borders are closed. NH-44 is closed on both sides. Take alternate routes via Lampur, Safiabad, Saboli, NH8/Bhopra /Apsara borders /Peripheral expressway, the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.
It also said that the traffic has been diverted from Mukarba and GTK road and suggested commuters to avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK road, NH-44.
Farmer leaders have been firm on their demand for the repeal of three new farm laws enacted in September.
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