During the all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, the Prime Minister said that the government still stands by the proposal given to the protesting farmers of suspending the three contentious farm laws for 18 months.

The Prime Minister assured that the government is approaching the farmers’ issue with an open mind. He said, “The government’s stand is the same as it was during the meeting on January 22 the proposal made by the Union Agriculture Minister still stands.” Meanwhile, support for the farmers’ protest swelled on Saturday, as more villagers poured in at a key protest site on the Delhi-Meerut highway in Ghazipur on the border with Uttar Pradesh.