Govt to hold 9th round of talks with farmer unions today

The Union government on Friday will hold the ninth round of talks with the representatives of farmer unions protesting at the borders of Delhi against the three agricultural laws passed during the last monsoon session of Parliament.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 2 pm in Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan.

Ahead of the talks, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, using a legal metaphor said that the government is giving dates for court hearings without a case in place.

"Government is giving tareekh pe takeekh (dates after dates) with a case. They (the government) are also trying to using the probable spread of the COVID-19 virus as an excuse to end our protest. Political parties held large gatherings during the Bihar elections and also in Telangana. If COVID-19 starts spreading here we'll see," he stated.

He reiterated that farmers will go home after the government listened to the demands of protesters and repeal the laws.

Tikait further said that farmers have planned to take out a tractor march along with the tanks of the Indian army during the Republic day parade.

"We are going to take out a tractor march on January 26 with the Indian army. Army tanks will be on one side and the tractors on the other. A hundred tractors will march with one tableau. The government should make full preparations regarding this," he added.

Earlier, the eighth round of talks between farmers and the Centre that took place on January 4, was inconclusive. After the meeting Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said the dialogue could not reach any "solution" as the farmer unions remained "adamant" over repealing of three farm laws.

Farmers have been protesting at the gates of Delhi since November 26 last year against the newly enacted farm laws -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance, and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

(ANI)

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