Centre Offers Written Assurance To Farmers On Crop Prices: 10 Points
Farmers' protest: Farmer leaders rejected the government's offer to amend new farm laws, saying they would settle for nothing less than the scrapping of the legislations.
Farmers protests: The farmers met at the Singhu border.
New Delhi: The government said the Minimum support price (MSP) for crops will stay as it gave a written proposal to protesting farmers, a day after their meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah failed to resolve the deadlock, with both sides remaining firm on their positions. Farmers' groups held a meeting at one of the Delhi-Haryana borders, with union leaders saying they would settle for nothing less than the scrapping of the legislations. A big meeting scheduled for today with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar - the sixth since the protests started - was called off yesterday.
Here are the top 10 updates on farmers' protest:
The proposal was sent to farm leaders today with written amendments that the government intends to carry out. The government assured that the Minimum support price (MSP) will not be ended and that it will continue.
The farmers' meeting was held at the Singhu border, where thousands have been camping since the last 14 days. "We'll strategise in our meeting and discuss their (centre's) proposal. Farmers won't go back. It's a matter of their respect. Will the government not withdraw laws? Will there be tyranny? If the government is stubborn, so are farmers. The laws have to be withdrawn" Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, said.
According to the government proposal, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, which, according to the farmers, goes against them, will not be introduced. The government had earlier argued that the laws are meant to monitor power distributors.
With farmers camped out at busy border points of the national capital, three of the Delhi-Haryana border points - Tikri, Jharoda and Dhansa - are closed for traffic. Besides the border areas of the capital, demonstrations are also being held at a ground allocated for the farmer protests in Delhi's outskirts.
At least five deaths have been reported since the protests began. A 32-year-old farmer was found dead on Tuesday morning near the Delhi-Haryana border. Ajay More from Haryana's Sonipat had been protesting along with fellow villagers for 10 days at the Singhu border. He is believed to have died due to hypothermia.
Representatives from 24 political parties are expected to meet President Ram Nath Kovind today. Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to be part of the delegation along with Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar, CPM's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja and TR Balu.
Opposition parties, which had objected to the farm laws in parliament, had requested the President earlier not to sign on the bills, saying they were passed in an undemocratic manner in the Rajya Sabha. The President, however, had given his assent to all three bills.
At last night's meeting between Mr Shah and 13 leaders of farmer unions, sources said farmers' unions were given a presentation on the bills and a proposal will be sent to farm leaders today with written amendments that the government intends to carry out.
"Amit Shah-ji asked us to tell him what issues we have. We said that stage has passed and asked for the (farm) laws to be repealed. Amit Shah offered the clauses - that we are not okay with - can be amended. However, we refused amendments," Dr farmer leader Darshanpal told NDTV this morning.
Thousands of farmers, who have braved water cannons, tear gas and police barricades, began their protest against the farm laws, aimed at doing away with middlemen and allowing them to sell produce anywhere in the country. Farmers say the laws will deprive them of the minimum prices fixed by the government and leave them at the mercy of corporates.