400 KERALA FARMERS JOIN PROTEST Govt must agree to start on clean slate, says Chidu Sirsa not to appear before NIA on Sunday
Around 400 farmers from Kerala have joined the ongoing agitation near the Rajasthan-Haryana border against three new farm laws.
A group of farmers from Kerala came to Alwar's Shahjahanpur on Friday to participate in the sit-in launched by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha against the Centre's farm laws, former CPI (M) MLA Amra Ram said.
He said the farmers are protesting on a 3-km stretch of the highway, which has one service lane opened for locals.
"The farmers are protesting under intense cold conditions but the Centre is not bothered," he added.
Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa on Saturday said he will not be able to appear before the counter-terror task force, NIA, on Sunday owing to his pre-occupations relating to the wedding of his granddaughter and he would remain busy in family affairs till February 7. NIA has summoned around 40 people for examination as witnesses in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) under Section 160 CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure).
NEW DELHI: Congress leader P Chidambaram hit out at the Centre over the impasse on the farm laws, alleging that "no one" was consulted for the legislations, and asserted that the only way out for the government was to agree to start on a "clean slate".
His remarks came a day af ter the Centre asked protesting farmers to form an informal group to prepare a concrete proposal about their objections and suggestions on the farm laws for further discussion on Januar y 19.
The fault lies with the government because it will not agree to get rid of the disputed laws, he said.