Centre-farmers talks remain inconclusive; govt says it cannot and will not repeal farm laws

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 8

The eighth round of talks between protesting farmers and the Centre ended inconclusively yet again with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar making it clear that the government will not repeal the Acts and ‘jathebandis’ stating that they are willing to settle for nothing less.

The next round has been proposed on January 15 with the government hoping for some resolution at the January 11 Supreme Court hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the three agricultural laws.

This also means the farmers will be celebrating the festival of Lohri at borders of Delhi. 

Hardening their stance, unions have also made it clear that “whatever the courts might order they are not going to budge until they secure repeal of the laws and discussion on MSP moves further”.

They have already given a deadline of January 26, the day when they “march into Delhi”. “It is best to leave this to the Supreme Court to decide,” Kavitha Kuruganti of the Mahila Kisan Adikar Manch said quoting Tomar at the meeting, terming today’s proceedings as a “complete breakdown of talks”. 

“It is a very sad day for Indian democracy that in middle of talks an elected government, which has constantly been cheating the farmers, now says let us get this resolved through the Supreme Court. The court has already looked at the eviction-related issue and said that it is the democratic right of farmers to protest and passed orders on that,” she said. 

Leaders said only “one point was taken up” at the meeting today. While Tomar kept saying they should discuss the three Acts, unions kept insisting the Bills be taken back.

There was no discussion on MSP as leaders made their intentions clear with slogans like ‘ya jitenge ya marenga’ (either we will die or win) and ‘Bill wapsi ghar wapsi’.

They also slammed Punjab BJP leaders for giving ‘gaalis’ (abusing) to farmers and maligning the agitation. “We are not a political party. Only if you return the Bills will we go back,” they said. 

नीयत साफ़ नहीं है जिनकी,
तारीख़ पे तारीख़ देना स्ट्रैटेजी है उनकी!

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 8, 2021

After Tomar insisted that several unions were agreeable to the laws, BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told him “agriculture was a state subject, still the Centre made laws on it”. 

“It is an established fact that you cannot interfere on the subject of agriculture. But you get your secretary and your joint secretary to work on it, and they keep coming up with excuses (to interfere). I have a list of cases in which the Supreme Court’s full Bench has ruled that the Central government cannot interfere on the subject,” Rajewal said.  

Also read: Ahead of talks, govt says hopeful of resolving farmers' issues

Apart from Tomar, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Som Parkash, who is from Punjab, were also present at the talks with the unions. 

Meanwhile, Tomar played down his meeting with religious leader Baba Lakha Singh, a head of the Nanaksar Sikh sect, saying that the government did not approach him for mediation with farmers.

Also read: Will not withdraw from fight against farm laws, Priyanka Vadra tells Punjab Congress MPs

 “We have not approached anyone for mediation. There are those who oppose the laws and those who support them, the government gives time to everyone to hear their views. 

“Being a religious leader and someone with farmers’ best interests in his heart and pained at their plight in this cold, Baba Lakha Singh wanted to discuss the issue. He spoke of farmers’ perspective while I told him about the government’s point of view. I hope he talked to unions about our discussion. We did not approach him for mediation,” Tomar said. 

Ahead of the eighth round of talks with the Union Ministers, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait has already said the government can try as much as it wants, farmers will not go back home till the three Acts were repealed.

Also read: Ahead of talks, BJP leaders meet Shah

“The government still has time till tomorrow. It can make a law on MSP and take back the three laws and fulfil demands of the agitation. The tractor march was a trailer. The full movie will be shown on January 26 (Republic Day when farmers have planned a tractor parade)” he said.

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