With the government inviting the protesting farmers to a fresh round of talks on Wednesday, a farmers' union leader on Monday said they will stick to their key demand for repeal of the three farm laws.
"We will participate in the meeting and seek to discuss the proposals we have made. If this goes well, we will then move to other issues, " Bharatiya Kisan Union's national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said.
"If they (the government) does not agree, we will hold further talks. The government will have to listen to us and take back the laws. If the government does not listen to us, we will continue sitting here," he asserted.
The government, in its letter of invitation for the talks, said they will discuss the three farm laws and the minimum support price (MSP) issue as well as The Commission for Air Quality management in NCR and adjoining areas ordinance, 2020 and The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The farmers, who had offered to hold talks with the government on Tuesday, had sent a four point charter of demands.
- The first one was for the withdrawal of the three laws.
- The second one was for a legal basis for selling agricultural produce at MSP as fixed by the National Farmers Commission.
- The third was for keeping farmers out of the ambit of penal provisions under the clean air ordinance, and the fourth was for necessary changes in the Electricity (Amendment) Bill to protect farmers' interests.
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However, Agriculture minister Tomar believe that farmers have been mislead and he's sure that they will soon understand that these laws are for their benefits. Tomar further said the government is always ready for talks because in a democratic setup dialogue is the only way to resolve any issue.
Today marks the 33rd day of the farmers protest against the three farm laws that were enacted during the parliament's monsoon session. Thousands of farmers have been protesting amid the cold waves of north India demanding the repeal of these three agrarian laws. Though many have lost their lives due the cold climate, the farmers remain adamant with their demands.