Farmers' protest: Seventh round of talks end in deadlock, next meet on 8 Jan
2 min read 04 Jan 2021, 06:02 PM ISTUnion Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated after the meeting that he hopes for the next round of discussions to be conclusiveProtesting farmers reiterated that they will not go back until the three farm laws are withdrawn
PremiumThe stalemate on the three contentious agri laws between protesting farmers' unions and the central government continued on Monday as the seventh round of talks ended on an inconclusive note.
Next meeting between the farmers and the government is scheduled to take place on 8 January at 2 pm.
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"We will meet the government again on 8 January and discuss the repeal of farm laws and legal status for MSP. We have informed the ministers that if the laws are not withdrawn, we will also not return home," said Rakesh Tikait after the meeting.
All India Kisan Sabha general secretary Hannan Mollah echoed the statement and said that the unions do not want discussions on any other issue. "Government is under tremendous pressure. We all said that this is our demand (repeal of the laws). We don't want a discussion on any other topic except for on repeal of the laws. Protests will not be withdrawn until the laws are repealed," he said.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated after the meeting that he hopes for the next round of discussions to be conclusive.
"We wanted farmer unions to discuss three laws clause-wise. We could not reach any solution as farmer union remained adamant on the repeal of the laws," said Tomar.
"Looking at today's discussion, I hope that we will have a meaningful discussion during our next meeting and we will come to a conclusion," he added.
The union minister further dismissed apprehensions about the protesting farmers lacking trust in the central government. He said the unions would not have agreed to another meeting if that was the case.
Regarding the government's proposal, farmers' unions said that they are not ready to accept any amendments and want a total withdrawal of agri laws.
"The minister wanted us to discuss the law point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want a complete rollback. The government intends to take us towards amendments but we will not accept it," said Yudhvir Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union.
The farmers had iterated on the eve of the meeting that they will not go back until the farm laws are repealed.
"Today is the 37th day of our protest. The government should leave its stubbornness. We will not go back until the agri laws are taken back. It's disappointing that farmers are losing their lives. So many farmers are braving the cold yet the government is not taking us seriously," said farmer leader Onkar Singh at Singhu border on Sunday.
The agitating farmers have continued their protest at Delhi borders despite heavy rains and biting cold across North India. After the heavy downpour on Sunday, farmers were seen huddled together under blankets inside their vehicles to keep warm.
