Ahead of the seventh round of talks with the Centre and the protesting farmers on Monday, the farmers have hardened their stand on the demand for repealing the three farm laws. Two key issues are still on board - the repeal of the three agriculture laws and giving legal status to the minimum support price guarantee in the next round of talks.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been camping out at the Delhi borders amid the bitter cold and rains, and have warned that they will hold a tractor rally on Republic Day if their demands are not fulfilled.
In the sixth round of meetings which went on for over five hours, the Centre said the two sides had reached a consensus on two out of four key issues of the farmers - withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill and the penal provisions for stubble burning in the Air Quality Commission Ordinance.
But the deadlock has continued over the repeal of the three farm laws passed in September that had the farmers initiating this massive stir. The farmers’ representatives who had attended the 6t round of meeting on December 30 said the government said repealing the laws is a long and cumbersome process. The Centre has also clearly stated that it is not ready for legally enforced support prices for produce and said a committee can be established to look into the matter.
The agitating farmers have already announced to take out a tractor parade towards Delhi on January 26, which is the Republic Day, besides a series of programmes in a bid to intensify their protest.
Ahead of joining the talks, Harinder Singh Lokhowal, a prominent farmer leader from Punjab and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) general secretary said, "I will ask the government to take back the new laws and save farmers who they call 'Annadata', as over 50 farmers have lost their lives during the protest."
"How many sacrifices the government wants to take?", Lokhowal said.
He also criticised the action taken by state governments of Haryana and Punjab to stop the farmers from approaching Delhi as the Haryana Police fired tear gas at them in Rewari district.
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He said the farmer leaders from the Singhu border would leave for the Vigyan Bhawan by noon as the meeting was scheduled Monday at 2 p.m.
The number of farmer leaders to join the talks is expected to remain as were present in the sixth round of talks held on December 30.