Agriculture Minister may appeal to farmers to end stir & work with Centre in 4 pm briefing

As the farmers' protest against the Centre's agriculture laws entered its 15th day on Thursday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will make an appeal to the farmers to end their agitation, and address media at 4 pm, sources said. Sources also said that Tomar will request the farmers to work with the government. This comes amid input that farmers' unions will also hold a meeting among themselves at 2 pm to chalk out their strategies.

Farmers-Centre scheduled talks cancelled

The Farmer leaders on Wednesday rejected a government offer of amendments in the new agri laws and a "written assurance" on continuing the MSP system, saying there was nothing new in it, and vowed to intensify their agitation by blocking key highways linking Delhi and a nationwide protest on December 14.

The sixth round of talks between the Centre and the agitating farmer unions slated for Wednesday was cancelled, but the two sides maintained they were open to dialogue. Meanwhile, The Opposition, which has been supporting the farmers' stir and had backed Tuesday's 'Bharat bandh', approached President Ram Nath Kovind.

A five-member delegation that included former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury met the President seeking repeal of the farm laws against which thousands of farmers have been protesting on the borders of the national capital.

Centre sends a proposal to farmers

After Union Home Minister Amit Shah's meeting with farmer leaders, the government sent the proposal offering to make necessary amendments on at least seven issues, including one to allay fears about the weakening of the mandi system. The government said an amendment can be made wherein state governments can register the traders operating outside mandis. States can also impose tax and cess as they used in APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) mandis on them.

READ | Amid BJP's CAA intent, Mamata Banerjee tells West Bengal she won't implement NRC & NPR

READ | UK PM Boris Johnson confuses farmers' agitation with India-Pakistan issue; dumbfounds all

On apprehensions about the scrapping of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime and shifting of trade to private players, the government said it is ready to give a written assurance that the existing MSP will continue. Addressing a press conference, farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said there was nothing new in the government's proposal, and that it was "completely rejected" by the 'Sanyukta Kisan Committee' in its meeting on Wednesday. 

The farmer leaders, who have been adamant on their demand to scrap the laws, said it was an "insult" to the farmers and they would intensify their agitation by blocking the Jaipur-Delhi and the Delhi-Agra expressways by Saturday, and escalate it to a nationwide protest on December 14 when they will "gherao" BJP ministers and boycott party leaders.

READ | New Parliament Bhumi Puja Live Updates: PM Modi to lay Central Vista foundation stone

READ | BJP meets Jansena chief Pawan Kalyan in 'Bhagyanagar' to strategise for Andhra Pradesh

(With agency inputs)