Chidambaram quotes Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar; cites farmers 'who believe they're deceived'

Ahead of talks between farmers and Centre, Congress senior leader and former union minister P Chidambaram on Monday has extended support to the protesting farmers and has quoted Tamil poet-saint Tiruvalluvar. Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram quoted Tiruvalluvar saying that those who make the farmers fold their hands, cannot survive. Chidambaram added that the quotes by poet-saint Tiruvalluvar are true in the present context, as no government can face the wrath of farmers "who believe they are being deceived." Notably, PM Modi has also quoted Tiruvalluvar on a number of occasions.  

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Farmers' protest

Meanwhile, farmers union are set of the next round of talks on January 4. They have announced that they will hold a tractor parade -  'tractor Kisan Parade' - in Delhi on Republic Day if their demands are not met. From what started as a scheduled protest in the national capital on November 26 and 27, 2020, thousands of farmers are still protesting at the borders of Delhi against The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The Centre has so far agreed not to penalise farmers for stubble burning and to continue the present mechanism of giving subsided electricity for agricultural use. Maintaining that the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar appealed to the farmer leaders to send home the elderly, women and children given the chilly winter season. Meanwhile, the unions rejected the Centre's offer to form a committee to examine the agrarian laws. 

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