‘Still pending’: Yogendra Yadav over Centre’s claims of resolving 50% of farmers’ issues

Yadav said that if the farmers’ demands were not met after the meeting with the Centre on January 4, a march would be held on January 6.

Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav, who platform is leading the farmers’ protests, said on Saturday the Centre’s claims of resolving half of the cultivators’ issues was “plain lie” and that they have yet to receive anything on paper. Yadav’s statement comes just a couple of days before the seventh round of discussion between the Centre and the farmers’ representatives to break the deadlock over the three farm laws.

Farmers across the country, especially from Haryana and Punjab, have been protesting around Delhi against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws that were passed in September. (PTI)

“It’s a plain lie that the government has accepted 50% of farmers’ demands. We’ve got nothing on paper yet,” Yadav was quoted as saying by PTI.

Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said earlier this week that after the round of talks between the Centre and the farmers’ representatives on Wednesday, the two had reached a consensus on two out of four issues. The Swaraj India leader, however, rubbished these claims. “Our two main demands — three farm bills should be scrapped and legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) are still pending,” he said.

Yadav said that if the farmers’ demands were not met after the meeting with the Centre on January 4, a march would be held on January 6. “The next round of talks with the government will be held on January 4 and if our demands are not accepted, we will hold a march at Kundli-Manesar-Palwal on January 6. We will announce a date about when and move forward from Shahjahanpur border,” he said.