Farmers’ protests at Delhi borders enter Day 11; city traffic diverted
The protesting farmers, who have called for a nationwide strike on Tuesday, will meet the central leadership again on Wednesday to arrive at a consensus over the controversial farm laws.
Farmers continued their sit-in demonstrations on Sunday against the three farm laws enacted by the government after the fifth round of talks between their leaders and Union ministers failed to break the impasse.
Marking the 11th day of their protest, farmers were seen at the Delhi’s Singhu border with Haryana and at the Nirankari Samagam Ground in the national capital’s Burari area. Delhi Traffic Police have closed as many as seven borders, including Singhu, Auchandi, Lampur, Piao Maniyari, Mangesh, Tikri, Jharoda, for any traffic movement in view of the protest against the farm laws.
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On Saturday, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, railways, food and consumer affairs minister Piyush Goyal and minister of state for commerce Som Parkash, offered to make four major amendments to the set of farm laws during the talks, although they presented no written material, an official said. The farmers, however, did not accept any changes and demanded that the laws be repealed.
The protesting farmers, who have called for a nationwide strike on Tuesday, will meet the central leadership again on Wednesday to arrive at a consensus. While the government leans on its new reform agenda for better crop prices and higher investments in the farm sector, farmers say changes approved by Parliament in September would allow big corporations to exploit them.
Kavitha Kuruganti of the Women Farmers’ Rights Forum, a participant, Saturday’s talks were stalled at one point as farmers carried out a silent protest on their seats during the discussions. “We rejected the proposal for amendments. All members of the delegation have decided to keep silent. The government side was trying to draw us out. There was utter silence from our side,” Kuruganti said.
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Farmers showed placards, asking the government to say ‘yes or no’ on the demand for the complete withdrawal of the laws, said Rakesh Tikait, the leader of the influential Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait faction).
Agriculture minister Tomar said the government has sought more time to come up with a “concrete proposal” and “written suggestions” from the farmers, which would help take the talks forward.