Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 2: On the eve of another round of talks with the agitating famers on Thursday, the central government demonstrated conciliatory attitude to end the confrontation as the farmers boosted by fresh supports from various quarters showed hardening of their stand insisting that the strike can end only with repealing the contentious farm laws.
After the first round of talks in Delhi on Tuesday remained inconclusive and the two sides agreed to meet again on Thursday for further discussion, the union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said though the acts were beneficial to the farmers, the government was ready to look afresh whatever objections the farmers had to the acts.
“I appeal to the farmers that the laws are in their interest and the reforms have been done after a long wait, but if they have any objection to it then we are ready to address their concerns,” Tomar said on Wednesday.
Ahead of the second round of talks, the Union home minister Amit Shah held deliberations with Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday to find ways to dispel the farmers’ concerns after which the agriculture minister issued the appeal.
Tomar’s statement came even as Farmers groups demanded that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre convene a special session of Parliament to repeal the three agricultural reform laws.
Addressing the media at Singhu on the Delhi-Haryana border, Darshan Pal, president of the Krantikari Kisan Union, representing the joint farmers front, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, said “As long as the demand to repeal the laws are not met, we will intensify the struggle on the borders of Delhi, and we will choke the city of Delhi.” He reiterated that the farmers were not interested in prolonging the talks. “We do not want to have any clause-by-clause discussion with the government about these laws. We have already given a ten-page document detailing our objections to the laws. Our demand is that the laws be repealed entirely,” Pal said.
“The government is trying to divide the farmers’ movement, but we will not let that happen. We have all agreed to fight under the joint banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha. This is not only a struggle of the Punjab farmers, but farmers from across the country.
“We have also met with Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union-Tikait group, and he has also agreed to fight together with us,” Pal said.
While Tomar said the government would see to what extent the issues could be resolved with the agitating farmers, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by its president Naresh Tikait, decided to hold a “mahapanchayat” at the Ghazipur border of Delhi on Thursday to discuss the strategy for the ongoing agitation. Farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country, along with the heads of different khaps, would participate in the mahapanchayat, said Gaurav Tikait, a young farmer leader and son of Naresh Tikait.
Social activist Medha Patkar, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and Jan Adhikar Party’s Paapu Yadav were among the leaders who met the protesting farmers at Ghazipur border. They demanded that the government withdraw the contentious farm laws.
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Choudhary visited the protesting farmers at Singhu border on Wednesday. After interacting with them, he served food to the farmers at a langar.
The government’s conciliatory attitude came as it found itself in a tight deadlock with raging farmers who are objecting to the three farm laws adopted by Parliament in September. The farmers have alleged that these laws will reduce their earnings in the market and give more power to corporations.
(I