Terming the new farm laws as “anti-farmer”, Beniwal, the convenor of RLP, said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is equally concerned about the farmers, he should implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.

He also reiterated that he would withdraw from the NDA if talks do not turn in favour of farmers.

Beniwal along with his supporters also announced that they would move towards the Rajasthan-Delhi border to protest against the new farm laws.

Addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ organized at Kotputli, Beniwal said the Centre did not hold discussions with stakeholders before bringing the farm laws.

“When the three bills were brought, they did not talk to anyone. We are also a part of the NDA. We are also the sons of farmers. They should have talked to us. They should have told us that they are bringing such a bill for farmers. I do not know who drafted the bills…They were brought and passed,” Beniwal said.

He added, “If the prime minister is equally worried about the farmers, then he should implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report.”

“These three laws are anti-farmer and the government should enact a new legislation to benefit the farmers. If the talks do not turn in favour of the farmers, I would quit the NDA and if this too does not serve the purpose, I would leave my Lok Sabha membership,” Beniwal added.

If the government is not in a position to implement recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, it should guarantee the minimum support price (MSP), the RLP leader said.

Farmers held demonstrations in several districts of the state, including Kota, Ganganagar, Bharatpur, Hanumangarh and Alwar.

At many places, toll plazas on the highways were also closed and vehicles were allowed to pass free.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed to the people to maintain peace while holding agitations.

“Even on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, farmers should place their demands democratically in front of the Centre and maintain peace,” Gehlot tweeted.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said the BJP-led government at the Centre should abandon its “adamant” attitude and fulfil the demands of the farmers soon.

lot tweeted, “Our Annadata have been struggling on the streets for the last 17 days away from their family and home against central government”s autocracy to protect their rights in Corona crisis and harsh winter. The BJP government should abandon adamant attitude and fulfil the demands of the farmers soon.”

Meanwhile, BJP state president Satish Poonia said the three agri laws passed by the Modi government are in the interest of farmers.

He said the agri laws will open the way for progress of farmers and the BJP is conducting a public awareness campaign by talking to the farmers all over the country.

Terming the new farm laws as “anti-farmer”, Beniwal, the convenor of RLP, said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is equally concerned about the farmers, he should implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.

He also reiterated that he would withdraw from the NDA if talks do not turn in favour of farmers.

Beniwal along with his supporters also announced that they would move towards the Rajasthan-Delhi border to protest against the new farm laws.

Addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ organized at Kotputli, Beniwal said the Centre did not hold discussions with stakeholders before bringing the farm laws.

“When the three bills were brought, they did not talk to anyone. We are also a part of the NDA. We are also the sons of farmers. They should have talked to us. They should have told us that they are bringing such a bill for farmers. I do not know who drafted the bills…They were brought and passed,” Beniwal said.

He added, “If the prime minister is equally worried about the farmers, then he should implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report.”

“These three laws are anti-farmer and the government should enact a new legislation to benefit the farmers. If the talks do not turn in favour of the farmers, I would quit the NDA and if this too does not serve the purpose, I would leave my Lok Sabha membership,” Beniwal added.

If the government is not in a position to implement recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, it should guarantee the minimum support price (MSP), the RLP leader said.

Farmers held demonstrations in several districts of the state, including Kota, Ganganagar, Bharatpur, Hanumangarh and Alwar.

At many places, toll plazas on the highways were also closed and vehicles were allowed to pass free.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed to the people to maintain peace while holding agitations.

“Even on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, farmers should place their demands democratically in front of the Centre and maintain peace,” Gehlot tweeted.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said the BJP-led government at the Centre should abandon its “adamant” attitude and fulfil the demands of the farmers soon.

Pilot tweeted, “Our Annadata have been struggling on the streets for the last 17 days away from their family and home against central government”s autocracy to protect their rights in Corona crisis and harsh winter. The BJP government should abandon adamant attitude and fulfil the demands of the farmers soon.”

Meanwhile, BJP state president Satish Poonia said the three agri laws passed by the Modi government are in the interest of farmers.

He said the agri laws will open the way for progress of farmers and the BJP is conducting a public awareness campaign by talking to the farmers all over the country.

CHANDIGARH: The protesting farmers said on Saturday they were ready for talks with the union government, but only to discuss the repeal of the three farm laws and not any amendment as proposed by the government.

They also announced a oneday hunger strike and siege of offices of deputy commissioners on December 14 and blocking of the Delhi-Jaipur highway on Sunday. “We are ready for talks with the union government but the government has to first discuss the repealing of the three farm Bills as we are not in favour of amendments. We will move onto our other demands only after that,” Sanyukta Kisan Andolan leader Kamalpreet Singh Pannu said.

Pannu alleged that the government had made attempts to divide the farmers. “It (government) wants to thwart our movement and a few small attempts to divide us and instigate the people against our movement were made, but we will foil all those attempts and will continue the agitation peacefully,” he said.

The farm leader listed out their agitation plan for the coming days. Pannu said on Sunday farmers from Rajasthan would march to Delhi and block the Delhi-Jaipur highway and on Monday they would picket DC offices.

“We have decided to intensify our agitation. We have given a call to women to intensify their protest and will make all arrangements for them,” he said, adding that the Haryana Police put up boulders and barricades at the Khanauri border to stop the additional Punjab farmers moving towards Delhi.

He claimed that farmers from other parts were also on their way to join the protesters at the Singhu border and they would take the agitation to the next level in the coming days.

Haryana BKU president Gurnam Singh Charuni announced that he would begin an indefinite hunger strike from December 19 if their demands were not met by then. On Saturday, the farmers took over the Bastara toll plaza near Karnal and the Shambu toll plaza near Ambala on the Delhi-Amritsar highway.

According to the Delhi Police, both the officers are currently under home isolation.

NEW DELHI: Amid heavy deployment at the Singh border area, two of the Indian Police Service (IPS) officers who led the force where the farmers’ protest is ongoing against three farm laws, have tested positive for corona virus.

According to the Delhi Police, both the officers are currently under home isolation. The Delhi police officers who tested positive has been identified as Outer North Deputy Superintendent of Police (DCP) Gaurav and Additional DCP Ghanshyam Bansal.

This comes on the 16th day of the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s farm laws.

Farmer leaders on Thursday said that they would intensify their agitation by blocking railways to put pressure on the government for the repeal of three farm laws after rejecting the Centre’s proposals to make amendments on Wednesday.

Six rounds of talks have taken place between the Centre and farmer leaders regarding the laws but no headway has been made on the front.

The farmers are protesting against the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce(Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The warning from the farmer leaders came even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday urged them to give up the protests.

CHANDIGARH: The protesting farmers on Thursday hardened their stance against new farm laws despite six rounds of talks with the Centre, warning they would block rail tracks across the country if their demand for repealing the laws are not met. 

They also asserted that they stood united and any talk of division in their ranks was condemnable.

The warning from the farmer leaders came even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday urged them to give up the path of protest and continue talks to reach a solution on the issues related to the new farm legislations.

Various farmer unions met on Thursday and said details of the agitation to disrupt train services would be decided by the Sanyukt Kisan Manch. 

The farmer unions, which held a meeting on Thursday, said they will soon announce a date for blocking tracks across the country.

“The situation in Punjab is different because an agitation in the state has already been going for the last two months. On December 14, the agitating farmers will gherao the offices of Deputy Commissioners,’’ said a Punjab farmer leader, Buta Singh.

“We will block railway tracks if our demands are not met. We will decide on the date and announce it soon. The blocking of tracks will not be limited to Haryana and Punjab but it will be done across the country,” Singh said further at the press conference.

“The Centre has admitted that the new laws have been made for traders. If agriculture is a state subject, then the Centre does not have the right to make any laws. So, our argument that these laws will not benefit farmers has been proved right today,’’ Bhartiya Kisan Union, Punjab (Rajewal Group), Balbir Singh  Rajewal, said. 

“We warn the government not to stop farmers from coming to Delhi for agitation,’’ said Dr Darshan Pal, president of Krantikari Kisan Union.

The farmer unions had on Wednesday rejected the Centre’s proposals to make amendments in the farm laws and insisted on their repeal.

“Five rounds of talks have already been held with the government, but they remained inconclusive. So far, the government has not sent us any invitation for another round of talks. If government sends us proposal for a meeting, we will decide it in our meeting,” another farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka told a news agency.  

“We are facing a lot of difficulties due to cold weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite this, we will continue our protest until our demands are met.” 

The announcement by farmers came on the day Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said it was not proper to announce the next stage of agitation when talks were continuing and urged the unions to return to the discussion table.

Tomar also urged farmer union leaders to consider proposals sent to them to break the deadlock over protests against the three new farm laws and said the government is ready for further discussions with them any time.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for almost two weeks seeking a repeal of the new agri laws, which they claim were aimed at benefitting corporates by weakening the ‘mandi’ system and the minimum support price (MSP) regime for procurement of farm produce.

The government had on Wednesday proposed to give a “written assurance” that the existing MSP regime for procurement will continue.

However, the farmers’ unions rejected the proposal and said they would intensify their agitation until the government accepts their demand for a complete repeal of the three laws.

The government has also proposed to make necessary amendments on at least seven issues, including one to allay fears about the weakening of the ‘mandi’ system.

“Five rounds of talks have already been held with the government, but they remained inconclusive. So far, the government has not sent us any invitation for another round of talks. If government sends us proposal for a meeting, we will decide it in our meeting,” another farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said.

Asked about solution to ongoing standoff with the government, Kakka said, “only God knows.”

“We are facing a lot of difficulties due to cold weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite this, we will continue our protest until our demands are met,” Kakka also added.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh-based farmers’ organisation AIKCC, not one of the 40 unions that are protesting at Delhi borders seeking repeal of the farm laws, on Thursday welcomed the government’s gesture to keep the dialogue open with farm leaders.

B S Mann, founder of Bhartiya Kisan Union and chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC) — that represents 20-odd state level farmer organizations — said the committee’s suggestions made to the government in June for some changes in the three farm laws have “prima facie” been accepted.

“It was noticed by the national committee that all the suggestions were prima facie accepted by the government which will lead to end this current stalemate,” AIKCC said in a statement.

It was also observed that the government should announce slew of reforms in regulation in the follow up of less government and more governance, it said.