Published 17:00 IST, December 29th 2020
Home Minister Amit Shah chairs key meet on agrarian laws ahead of Centre-Farmers talks
Several members of the Cabinet are said to be present in the meeting being chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah which took place on Tuesday
Just a day before the next round of talks between the Centre and farmers' unions, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting in the national capital over the ongoing protests. Several members of the Cabinet are said to be present in the meeting being chaired by Amit Shah. This is the second key meet held by the Home Minister in a span of the two days, with the previous one held on Monday right after the Centre invited farmers to resume talks. The next round of talks between the Centre and the farmers' representatives are slated to be held at 2 pm on Wednesday at the Vigyan Bhawan.
4 specific agenda items to be tabled
After a brief pause in the negotiations, Union government on Monday invited representatives of 40 protesting farmers' unions, in response to their letter dated December 26. Maintaining that the Indian government is always ready to talk to the farmers with an open mind, Agriculture Ministry Secretary Sanjay Agarwal reiterated its commitment to address issues with honest intent.
Moreover, he stressed that a detailed discussion will be held on the farmers' concerns pertaining to the three farm laws, procurement at Minimum Support Price, the Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020 and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Earlier, the talks had come to a standstill after the Centre made it clear that it shall not repeal the three farm laws passed by both Houses of Parliament.
PM Modi signals Centre's intent
On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that his government was also ready for talks with those vociferously opposing the Centre over the agrarian laws. At the same time, he maintained that the discussion should be based on facts. Observing that his government is taking all possible steps to ensure the welfare of farmers, he appealed to them to not fall prey to the lies spread by some political parties. Additionally, the PM lambasted the Opposition for using the farmers' platform to put forth unrelated demands such as the release of the accused in cases involving violence.
Updated 17:00 IST, December 29th 2020