Farmers' protest: 9th round of talks inconclusive, next meeting on Jan 19

The farmers’ protest against the three contentious bills entered day 51 on Saturday. The ninth round of discussions between the government and farm unions on Friday ended in a deadlock with the next round set for January 19.

During the meeting, union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged the farmers to be flexible and asserted that the government has been accommodative and has already accepted several demands.

The government also proposed that the 41-member farmers’ delegation form a “smaller group” with “people who have expertise on laws”.

“There were discussions on the three laws but we could not arrive at any decision. We suggested that the farmers form a smaller group with outside people who have expertise on the issue, but the unions rejected our suggestion,” Tomar said. Like several earlier rounds of discussions, the farm unions demanded that the government commit to complete rollback of the laws.

Follow all the updates here:

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  Hundreds of Congress workers took out a march in Patna on Friday to support the farmers’ agitation against the three controversial farms laws passed by the Central government. Read more

• JAN 16, 2021 07:21 AM IST

  Congress leaders including Bhupinder Singh Hooda taken into custody during protest march over farm laws

  Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda along with several Haryana Congress leaders were detained on Friday by police as they marched towards the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh in protest against the new farm laws. Hooda along with state party chief Kumari Selja, general secretary Randeep Surjewala and other party leaders were taken into preventive detention here by the Chandigarh Police and first taken to the Sector 3 police station. The police released some party workers but they were again taken into custody as they tried to move towards Haryana Raj Bhawan.

  "We are standing in support of farmers since day one. We are not afraid of going to jail. No matter how many times we put into the jail, the government cannot stop us," Hooda said.

• JAN 16, 2021 06:50 AM IST

  Congress' protest on farm law 'political hypocrisy': Rajasthan BJP chief

  Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia on Friday said the Congress is shrinking across the country and using the state to save its credibility. His comments were in reaction to a sit-in staged by Congress workers here against recent farm laws of the Centre and the rising fuel prices. Describing it as "political hypocrisy", Poonia said the frustration of power slipping out of the Congress's hand is visible on the faces of its leaders, adding that "they should get used to sit in the opposition". The BJP leader also said the Congress has no moral right to talk about farmers as it did no good to them even after being in power in the country for 50 years.