Farmers' protest: Farmers accept govt's request for meeting on Dec 30

Farmers' unions will participate in the meeting with the government on December 30.

"During UPA government, Manmohan Singh ji and Sharad Pawar ji wanted to bring farm laws but they could not stand pressure and influence. We are fortunate that today Modi ji is our PM who works selflessly for the development of the country and welfare of people," Union Agriculture Minister Narendra S Tomar said.

"I am confident that with your support, positive attitude, and understanding these laws will be implemented & we will succeed in explaining to the farmers. A new path will be created & India's agriculture will prosper," he said.

Punjab: Locals of Ekta Nagar near Moga vandalised a mobile tower in support of farmers protesting against Centre's farm laws, last night. Police say, "We are verifying facts of the incident. The farmers have condemned this act. They are not supporting such actions."

NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Monday met CPI leader Sitaram Yehcury to discuss farmers' agitation. After the meeting, they said that if the issue is not resolved on December 30 then the two parties will decide their future course of action.

"I think the government should take the entire agitation very seriously. There has to be dialogue and solution. I heard... there are four or five suicides. If that type of situation is developing, it's not good for the country," Sharad Pawar said after the meeting.

Reacting to the government response to farmers' letter, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee has said that the Centre has shown an unwillingness to resolve the issue.

The government response letter, the AIKSCC said, was too short and did not mention the farmers' demand to discuss four modalities:

(1) Modalities to be adopted for the repeal of the three Central farm Acts

(2) Mechanisms to be adopted to make remunerative MSP recommended by the National Farmers’ Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities

(3) Amendments to be made and notified in the Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020 to exclude farmers from the penal provisions of the Ordinance

(4) Changes to be made in the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 to protect the interest of the farmers

"The government has used vague and unspecific language, indicating its willingness to discuss the full agenda items proposed by farmers," the organisation said in a statement. It also added that the government was trying to find ways to blame farmers in order to cover up its consistent adamant stand of continuing with the 3 Farm Laws and EB 2020.

Agitating farmers have set up a new stage and temporary sitting arrangements on the Delhi side of the Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border. "We have made new arrangements as the number of protesters is increasing here," says a farmer at the site.

Manoj Kumar, a teacher in a government school in Punjab, traveled 225 kilometers by bicycle to the Tikari border in Delhi in support of the farmer movement. "We all have to gather, it is not just the farmers' movement, it has become a public interest movement," he told ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off 100th 'Kisan Rail' from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal. While addressing the ceremony virtually, PM Modi said, "Kisan Rail has hugely strengthened small and marginal farmers who account for 80 per cent of the peasantry in country."

"I congratulate crores of farmers of the country. Despite Covid-19 challenge Kisan Rail network has expanded in the last four months and got its 100th rail now," he said.

Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that 'false narratives' about the new farm laws were doing significant harm to farmers' interests as well as the economy.

Rajiv Kumar also said that he was disappointed at the 'dishonesty of some Indian economists for switching sides on farm laws'.

"The country can never become self-sufficient without the self-sufficiency of the farmer. Take back the anti-agricultural law. Save farmers, save the country!" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has tweeted.

Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that farmers from various parts of the country today met him and requested not to withdraw the contentious farm laws.

"Today, a delegation of various farmer organizations from all over the country gave a memorandum in support of the new agrarian reform bills and said that all these bills are in the interest of farmers, they should not be withdrawn. They also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the minister tweeted.

The Union agriculture ministry has written to farmers requesting them for a meeting at Vigyan Bhavan at 2 pm on Wednesday. Earlier this meeting was expected to take place on Tuesday. "The government is committed to find a logical solution on all relevant issues," the ministry has said in the letter.

The Meeting of Punjab Farmers Union has started at the Singhu border. The decision of the meeting will be conveyed to Kisan Sanyukta Morcha for the expected meeting with the government tomorrow.

MP Congress leaders, who were planning to gherao state assembly with tractor rally, staged a token protest with toy tractors on Monday. The original rally had to be cancelled after the assembly was adjourned.

We are with the farmers. We demand the three draconian agriculture laws be withdrawn: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Union ministers Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal are holding a meeting at the former's house to discuss the government's strategy ahead of meeting farmers on Tuesday.

Ahead of another round of dialogue with the Centre, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said that the talks are still on table. However, he warned, "Today is 33rd day of the protest. If the government won't listen, then we will use Formula 66, which mean, we will continue the agitation for double the days [66 days]."

"Talks will be on repealing of three farm laws and implementation of Swaminathan committee report," he said.

Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told India Today TV that if there is even a single thing for the benefit of farmers in the Centre's three farm laws, then he will leave politics. Khachriyawas said that the central government should not make use of force against agitating farmers, otherwise BJP leaders will not be able to move out.

As a face-saving measure, Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh on Monday sat on a symbolic silent protest near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Vidhan Sabha premises after the three-day session that was to start on December 28 was called off after an all-party meeting on December 27.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has hit out at the BJP and accused the Prime Minister of behaving like the East India Company. He even said those who sat on the laps of the Britishers are now deciding the fate of the country and cannot see the pain of the farmers. He said, "The Prime Minister should not act arbitrarily like East India Company." "45 farmers have died, how many more will have to die before Government talks to them," he asked.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has hit back at the BJP for attacking Rahul Gandhi over his visit to Milan. He said, "Rahul Gandhi has gone to see his grandmother. Is it wrong? Everybody has the right to undertake personal visits. BJP is indulging in low-level politics. They are targeting Rahul Gandhi because they want to target only one leader."

BJP leader DK Aruna has launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his personal visit to Italy. She has also called him a 'tourist politician'. She said, "90 per cent of congress leaders doing their best to defend Rahul Gandhi Milan trip. When will you think about people and playing a role of the opposition? Farmer brothers and sisters don't be misled by this tourist politician."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said the government should talk to farmers and take back the black farm laws. She said, "It is a sin to use the kind of words they are using for farmers. Government is answerable to the farmers. They should listen to them and take back the laws."

Kisan Rail important in PM's effort to double farmers' income: Piyush Goyal

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's appeal to protesting farmers to not damage telecom infrastructure seems to have failed to deter new attacks, with more than 176 signal transmitting sites being vandalised in the last 24 hours, sources said on Sunday. While firms belonging to billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani do not procure foodgrains from farmers, the narrative that new farm laws are to benefit them has made them easy targets, with protesting farmers in different places in Punjab having vandalised and damaged Reliance Jio towers, snapping connectivity. As many as 176 towers have been damaged since Saturday, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Congress will launch Samvad Programme in all districts of Rajasthan to support the ongoing farmers' agitation.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday made a visit to the Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border protest site where thousands of farmers have been agitating against Centre's farm laws for a month now.

Read report here.