Farmers' protest: Govt's 6th round of meeting with farm leaders cancelled

government has cancelled its crucial sixth round of talks with 40 protesting farmers' unions that was scheduled on Wednesday as farm leers declined to participate, after a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday night failed to break delock.

"Today's meeting with farmer unions' leers has been cancelled," a Union Agriculture Ministry's spokesperson told PTI.

re was no official confirmation wher government has sent a written proposal to farmer unions on key amendments to some of provisions of three farm laws.

Home Minister' meeting on Tuesday with a select group of union leers that included Hannan Mollah of All India Kisan Sabha and Rakesh Tikait of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) h failed to break ice.

In meeting, Shah h offered amendments to some of provisions of three farm laws in writing. But many farm leers h said y will not attend Wednesday's meeting and that y will take a call on ir next course of action after studying government's written proposal on Wednesday.

 No breakthrough has been possible in five rounds of talks so far as protesting farmers have stuck to ir demand for repeal of laws despite government's assurance to look into specific issues without abolishing legislations.

In previous meeting on December 5, Agriculture Minister Narender Singh Tomar h assured 40 farmer union leers that government is open to considering ways to strengn APMC mandis, create a level-playing field with proposed private markets, and provide a provision for approaching higher courts for dispute resolution while asserting that procurement at minimum support price (MSP) will continue.

But protesting farmer unions' leers are insisting that laws must be scrapped.

On December 7, a group of 20 progressive farmers from Haryana submitted to government a memorandum demanding that government consider amendments as suggested by protesting farmers' unions but not repeal m.

Tomar h told se progressive farmers backing se legislations that se measures will benefit peasantry and agriculture sector and that government will handle such agitations.

(Image: PTI)