Farmers toughen stand on 3 laws ahead of 8th round of talks with govt

Farmers on tractors participate on a rally against the agricultural reforms, on Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) Expressway at Kundli in Haryana. Pic/AFP

The farmers' agitation against the farm laws entered the 44th day on Friday with the groups showing no signs of budging from their stand ahead of the eighth round of talks with the government slated to take place later in the day.

The meeting is being held a day after the farmers held the tractor March on the Eastern and Western Peripheral Highway on the Delhi borders in which over 5,000 tractors and trolleys took part.

The farmer leaders will arrive at the Vigyan Bhawan where the meeting is likely to be held at 2 pm.

The farmers have been demanding the repealing of the three farm laws and guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.

The seventh round of talks between the farmers and the government remained inconclusive on January 4.

The government has said that it is ready to make amendments in the three laws, however, the farmers are adamant on repealing all the three.

Punjab farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) General Secretary Harinder Singh, who was also present during the seventh round of talks, told IANS: "The demands of the farmers will remain the same today. We will urge the government to repeal the three farm laws. And then we will talk on the MSP issue."

Till date, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash have taken the lead in speaking to the farmer leaders.

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