Farmers seek repeal as govt hopes for positive outcome at talks today

NEW DELHI: Farmers protesting against the three central farm laws will hold their ninth round of negotiations with the Union government on Friday.

The last round of talks on January 8 failed to end the impasse as the Centre has refused to rollback the laws farmers say will hurt their incomes. The farm unions have decided not to participate in consultations with the four-member committee proposed by the Supreme Court on January 12 to examine three laws. The unions have alleged that the committee was “progovernment” since the members had endorsed the laws in the past. The top court kept the farm laws in abeyance on Tuesday.

“We will hold talks with the government. We don’t want to hold talks with an external committee, which is a ploy to divert attention from our main demand, which is a repeal of the laws,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, a member of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, the platform of protesting farm unions.

The Centre said it is hopeful of positive discussions on Friday.

“The government will hold talks with an open mind with the farmers’ union. We are sensitive to all problems of the farmers,” agriculture minister Narendra Tomar said.

The farm unions said they would go ahead with a planned tractor march in the national capital peacefully on Republic Day. “There are lot of lies being spread that farmers will occupy Red Fort and Parliament on Republic Day. These are false and are being mischievously spread. Our tractor parade will be peaceful and disciplined. We will spell out the details after Jan 15,” Rajewal said.

Farmers are demanding a repeal of the three laws as well as a legal guarantee for minimum support prices. The laws remove restrictions on the purchase and sale of farm produce, lift constraints on stockpiling under the 1955 Essential Commodities Act, and enable contract farming based on written agreements. “We are again reminding the government that these laws should be completely repealed and remunerative MSP should be made into a legal right of all farmers,” Darshan Pal, a farm leader said.

The eighth round of talks held on January 8 had ended in a stalemate. While the farmers pressed the government to repeal the laws, Tomar said it was not possible to commit to a repeal.

The government will hold talks with an open mind with the farmers’ union. We are sensitive to all problems of the farmers

NARENDRA TOMAR, Union agriculture minister