...EK AUR TAREEKH
Next govt-farmer meet is set for Tuesday as ninth round of talks fail
The ninth round of the government-farmer talks at the Vigyan Bhawan here on Friday ended in a stalemate, but both sides agreed to meet again on Tuesday, Jan 19.
The farmers rejected the request of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar once again to end the ongoing protests at Delhi's borders for the last 51 days with Rakesh Tikait, leader of the Western UP farmers, said if a government can be elected to rule for five years, the farmers will also agitate for five years and the government should know its implication in the next elections.
A farmer leader protested at the meeting with the government on planting false reports that 81-year-old Punjab farmer leader Bhupinder Singh Mann guiding the Punjab farmers for many years withdrew from the SC nominated panel because of the
threats of the Khalistanis among the demonstrators and from Canada. He said the government should better know Mann has led many
farmers' agitations and he won't get frightened from the Khalistani elements as he did not bother about them even at the height of the terrorism in the state.
Both sides did not budge from their respective stands: Government ruling out repeal of the farm laws and the farmers' union ready for nothing except repeal of the laws. The meeting was held in two phases. In the second phase after the lunch, the ministers sounded the union leaders on the government's inclination to enact a law in the coming Parliament session for a guaranteed MSP, but with a rider they withdraw the demand for repeal of the laws and better suggest controversial issues in them which could be amended. The unions, however, refused to lower demands.