Keypoints:
- Representatives of farmer unions said only five per cent of the issues raised by them have so far been discussed in meetings with the government.
- Farmer leader Yudhveer Singh said if the central government thinks the farmers’ protest will go the Shaheen Bagh way, it is mistaken.
Ahead of the next round of talks, farmers Union warned that they will shut malls and petrol pumps in Haryana if government fails to resolve their main demands for the repeal of new farm laws along with a legal guarantee for MSP in the January 4 meeting.
On Friday, at the Singhu border protest site, representatives of the farmers Union said only five per cent of the issues raised by them have so far been discussed in meetings with the government.
Farmer leader Yudhveer Singh said if the central government thinks the farmers’ protest will go the Shaheen Bagh way, it is mistaken. “They (government) cannot make us leave this place like they did in Shaheen Bagh,” he said.
“If the January 4 meeting with the government fails to end the deadlock, we will announce dates for shutting all malls, petrol pumps in Haryana,” farmer leader Vikas said.
“The claims that 50 per cent issues have been resolved are false. Our two main demands — three farm bills should be scrapped and legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) — are still pending,” said Yogendra Yadav.
In a statement released to the media, The All India Kisan Sangharsh (AIKSCC) criticised saying that “pro-corporate intellectuals discussing the compromise formula” and said that farmers are clear that they “will not settle down for less than repealing of the three laws because these Bills hand over agriculture markets, farming processes, farmers land and food security to the corporates, and it is apparent that the government has declared acceptance of two minor issues to cover its adamant position”.
According to the unions, if the results of the talks on January 4 are not satisfactory, a tractor march will be taken out from the protest site to the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) Expressway on January 6 and a call will also be given to those farmers protesting at Shahjahanpur on the Haryana-Rajasthan border to move towards Delhi.
