BHUBANESWAR: Farmer outfits in the state will hold protest marches in the state capital and district headquarters on the occasion of the Republic Day to express solidarity to the farmer movement in Delhi. Their major demands are repealing farm laws and ensuring minimum support price (MSP) of agricultural produces by the government.
The farmers under the banner of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), an umbrella forum of several farmer outfits in the country including Odisha, will hold these protest marches. Similarly, western Odisha farmer outfits will hold a tractor and bike rally at Balangir town on Tuesday protesting farm laws.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar (Photo/ANI)
Farmer unions should reconsider proposal for putting farm laws on hold for about 18 months, says Tomar ANI | Updated: Jan 22, 2021 23:13 IST
New Delhi [India], January 22 (ANI): Stalemate persisted between the government and farmers after the eleventh round of talks on Friday with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stating that they had urged protesting farmer unions to reconsider the proposal for putting on hold implementation of new farm laws for about 18 months.
The minister told reporters that the talks remained inconclusive. Dignity was maintained but I feel the interest of farmers was not kept supreme during the dialogue and that s why a conclusion could not be reached, he said
The protesting farmers on Thursday rejected the Centre’s proposal to suspend the implementation of the three contentious laws for 18 months, taking the stand that the 143 “martyred” farmers had died seeking repeal and not such half-measures.
“The SKM pays homage to the 143 farmers who have been martyred in this movement so far. These companions are separated from us while fighting this mass movement. Their sacrifice will not go in vain and we will not go back without the repealing of these farm laws,” the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said in a statement.
The decision by the SKM, which has been spearheading the farmers’ protest, was announced on Thursday night after three rounds of meetings over the 24 hours since the offer had been made.
The government on Friday asked protesting farmers to form an informal group to prepare a concrete proposal about their objections and suggestions on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting on January 19 to end the long-running protest at various Delhi borders, but unions stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts. As nearly five hours of talks between 41 unions and three central ministers did not reach a decisive stage in the ninth round of talks at Vigyan Bhawan here, the two sides decided to meet again the next Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told farmer leaders at the meeting that the government has been flexible in its approach and urged the same from them.
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CHANDIGARH: A group of eight farmers from Jammu and Kashmir on Monday joined the protest against the Centre’s three contentious agriculture bills.
Headed by farm leader Tanveer Mohammad, the group reached Haryana’s Palwal district border with New Delhi in the morning and joined the protest there.
More farmers from Kashmir are expected in future as they have, for now, not been able to reach due to obstructions caused by inclement weather.
“The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is no different from other states, when it comes to farm-related issues. Hence, we decided to participate in the movement. We may be short in numbers as reaching the venue is not easy, hence we are running the protests there as well,” said Tanveer, who is from Kupwara district of Kashmir.