Amid the continuing standoff between farmers’ groups and the central government over the farm laws, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said he hoped that the protests would come to an end soon. Farmers have carried on their round-the-clock sit-ins despite the cold weather for the last 27 days.
Singh said the Narendra Modi government was holding talks with farmers with “full sensitivity” as he wished farmers on Kisan Diwas or farmers’ day. It marks the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth prime minister of India.
“On farmers’ day, I greet all the annadaatas [farmers] of the country,” Singh tweeted. “They have provided the country with food security. Some farmers are agitating against farm laws. The government is holding talks with them with full sensitivity. I hope that they’ll end their agitation soon.”
The defence minister recalled that Chaudhary Charan Singh wanted farmers’ income to increase, their crops to get a profitable price and their dignity to be protected. “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inspired by him, has taken steps in farmers’ interests,” Singh wrote. “He will not hurt farmers.”
Chaudhary Charan Singh is credited with shaping several policies that have helped Indian farmers. He was born in 1902 in Uttar Pradesh Meerut district, and died in 1987.
On Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said he is hopeful that protesting farmers’ organisations would soon complete their internal discussions and resume talks with the government to resolve the crisis. He is expected to meet the farmer groups on Wednesday afternoon.
Farm law protests
Tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at key entry points to Delhi for 27 straight days against the laws, withstanding temperatures dropping to 2-3 degree Celsius. The farmers fear the agricultural reforms will weaken the minimum support price mechanism under which the government buys agricultural produce, will lead to the deregulation of crop-pricing, deny them fair remuneration for their produce and leave them at the mercy of corporations.
The government, on the other hand, maintains that the new laws will give farmers more options in selling their produce, lead to better pricing, and free them from unfair monopolies. It has refused to repeal the reform-oriented laws.
The negotiations between farmers’ groups and the Centre has not progressed since the last meeting, scheduled to be held on December 9, was cancelled. Both the government and farmer leaders have reiterated their positions and dialed up the rhetoric, but have not made no concrete efforts to resume discussions to resolve the deadlock.
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