The government remained firm on not repealing the contentious laws and is believed to have suggested a panel to take the matter forward. The farmer groups also stuck to their demand for the repeal of the Acts.
TFM Desk
The crucial seventh round of talks between the government and representatives of agitating farmers on Monday failed to break impasse on three controversial farm laws as no consensus emerged on farmers’ demands of repeal of three farm laws and legal guarantee for a higher minimum support price. The next round of talks is expected on January 8.
The government remained firm on not repealing the contentious laws and is believed to have suggested a panel to take the matter forward, PTI reported. The farmer groups also stuck to their demand for the repeal of the Acts.
The meeting had started around 2.30 pm at Vigyan Bhavan in the presence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash.
Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and other Ministry officials also attended the meeting.
Since the sixth round of talks held at the same location on December 30 ended on a positive note with the government agreeing on two points, the government will try to persuade the farmers to end their agitation by adopting a middle path or forming a committee to resolve the issue.
Krantikari Kisan Union President (Punjab) Darshan Pal, Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Jagjeet Singh Dalewal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, Jamhuri Kishan Sabha Punjab General Secretary Kulwant Singh, and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Uttar Pradesh) President Rakesh Tikait are among the 41 farm union leaders participating in the meeting.
Rakesh Tikait, who is participating in the meeting, told PTI over the phone during the break that the first hour of discussion remained focussed on the three laws. “Our demand is the repeal of the laws. We will not agree to any alternatives such as the setting of the committee,” he said.
Ahead of the talks, the farmers have hardened their stand on the demand for repealing the three farm laws.
The agitating farmers have already announced to take out a tractor parade towards Delhi on January 26, which is the Republic Day, besides a series of programmes in a bid to intensify their protest.
Ahead of joining the talks, Harinder Singh Lokhowal, a prominent farmer leader from Punjab and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) general secretary told IANS, “I will ask the government to take back the new laws and save farmers who they call ‘Annadata’, as over 50 farmers have lost their lives during the protest.”
He said, “How many sacrifices the government wants to take?”