New Delhi: The deadlock continues even after the seventh round of talks between the protesting farmers and the government over the farm reforms today. As the meeting ended without any conclusion, the silver lining seems that both sides agreed to meet again on January 8.
While the agitating farmers’ unions under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha – a conglomerate of forty farmer unions – were adamant in their stand that the government withdraws all the three controversial farm laws, and enact a new law on Minimum Support Price (MSP), the farmer leaders told globalbihari.com that the government was unwilling to revoke the laws.
“Sarkar bilon ke fayede gina rahi hai (the government is still talking about the benefits of these laws),” said Bharatiya Kisan Union general secretary Dharmendra Malik. He informed that a two minute silence was also observed at today’s meeting at Capital’s Vigyan Bhawan to pay homage to the farmers who had died during the 40-day-old agitation.
It was interesting to note that unlike the previous rounds, this time the farmer leaders made their own arrangements for food and after the end of the first session of the meeting, they shared the food that they brought with them from the langar. The next session of today’s meeting then commenced after the lunch break.
– global bihari bureau
