Keypoints:
- Centre has asked farmers representatives that the next round of talks will only be held if they accept the proposal of putting a stay on farm laws.
- Centre said this during the eleventh round of talks on farm laws in Delhi.
- Centre had propoyam 18 month stay on farm laws.
On Friday, the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Centre has asked farmers to consider the proposal on temporary suspension of the farm laws. The Minister also added that the next meeting would be scheduled only after the farmers union came back with a response.
He had said that representatives of farmers’ unions and the government can discuss all issues related to the farmers’ agitation during the period so that an appropriate solution can be found.
The farmers union and the centre had held the 11th round of talks to resolve the deadlock over the agricultural laws. On Wednesday, the farmers rejected the Centre’s proposal to suspend implementation of the three agricultural laws for 1.5 years.They remained firm on their demand for a complete rollback of the legislations.
“We gave a proposal to farmers and if they have a better proposal then they can come to us,” the government told the farmers during the meeting.
State President of BKU krantikari (Punjab), Surjeet Singh Phul said that no date has been fixed as of now for the next round of talks.Rakesh Tikait, Spokesperson, Bhartiya Kisan Union, said the government offered to put the implementation of the farm laws on hold for two years and said that the next round of meeting can take place only if farmer unions are ready to accept the proposal.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three 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.
