LIVE: Minister Tomar sends 8-point letter to farmers, assures them of MSP

Farmers' protest LIVE updates Day 22: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal today tore up copies of the Centre's three new agriculture-related laws in the legislative assembly

Farmers' protest LIVE updates Day 22: Reaching out to farmers protesting the three farm laws for the last 22 days, Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar has written a letter to them saying the minimum support price (MSP) is going to continue.

The Supreme Court on Thursday acknowledged the right of farmers to non-violent protests and mooted the idea of putting on hold the contentious farm laws to enable negotiations with agitating farmers which was opposed by the Centre saying agriculturists would then not come forward for the talks.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today tore up copies of the Centre's three new agriculture-related laws in the legislative assembly, saying he cannot betray the country's farmers. Addressing the Delhi Assembly, the chief minister also alleged that the laws have been made for electoral funding of the BJP and not the farmers.

A high-level meeting of the government and office bearers of the ruling BJP members was held today at the BJP headquarters in view of the farmers ' agitation which entered its 22nd day on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were present in the meeting, among other top leaders.
 

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and elsewhere have been protesting at various border points of Delhi, including Singhu and Tikri, for over a fortnight, demanding that the Centre repeal the three new farm laws.

Stay tuned for farmers' protest LIVE UPDATES

2:20 AM

UP: Missing bizman traced by police

A debt-ridden businessman, who changed his appearance and joined the ongoing farmers' protests at one of the Delhi border points to escape moneylenders, was traced by police on Thursday.

 

Praveen, a resident of Murad Nagar town, had left his house on December 1 but did not return, police said. He was found at the Ghazipur-Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh gate) border.

 

On a previous occasion too, he had gone missing but had returned some days later, therefore, his family did not lodge a police complaint till December 12, police said.

 

Praveen was tracked with the help of his mobile phone which was put under surveillance and his car was found parked near the protest site, superintendent of police (rural) Iraj Raja told PTI.

10:32 PM

Agriculture minister tried to engage in dialogue, do read his letter: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar through his letter to farmers has made an effort to engage in a humble dialogue, and appealed to the 'annadaatas' to read it.

 

Tomar, in an eight-page open letter to farmers, said the Modi government is committed to the welfare of farmers and stressed that the new agri laws are aimed at benefiting small and marginal farmers.

 

 

"Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has written a letter to farmer brothers and sisters and expressed his feelings, he has made an effort to engage in a humble dialogue. I request all 'annadaatas' (farmers), do read it. I also request all the people of the country to ensure that this letter reaches more and more people," Modi tweeted in Hindi.

10:25 PM

Farmers' body meets Tomar; extends support for new farm laws

Amid the ongoing farmers' protest against the new farm laws, yet another farmer grouping FIFA on Thursday met Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and extended support for the legislations.

 

The Federation of Indian FPOs and Aggregators (FIFA) is the sixth group of farmers that has extended support for the laws in the last two weeks. The previous groups were from Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

 

FIFA represents 15 states and around 500 farmer producers organisations (FPOs) in the country.

9:02 PM

Narendra Singh Tomar sends 8-point letter to farmers, assures them of MSP

Reaching out to farmers protesting the three farm laws for the last 22 days, Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar has written a letter to them saying the minimum support price (MSP) is going to continue. In his eight-page emotional letter to farmers, Tomar said that most of the farmers are happy with the Centre's three new farm bills, but some confusion has been created by certain sections as part of a "conspiracy" to create tensions based on "falsehoods".

 

In the beginning of his letter, he said that he has been touch with the farmers of the country over the last few days. "And in the last few days I also met and discussed the three farm laws with several farmer unions who have welcomed the government's move. But the other aspect of this that some people are trying to spread falsehoods," he said.

 

Tomar wrote: "As the Agriculture Minister of the country, it is his duty to clear the air over the three farm laws. As Agriculture Minister, it is my responsibility to break the conspiracy that is being spread in the name of the farm laws between the government and the farmer sitting on protest near Delhi's borders."

 

The Agriculture Minister further said, "I belong to a farmer's family and since childhood, I have experienced the tough life of farmers. And I also know what it takes to grow or sell crops. It is very satisfactory that after implementation of the law, MSP procurement has set a new record this time."

8:45 PM

Kejriwal indulged in cheap theatrics by tearing copies of farm laws: Harsimrat Kaur Badal

Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday accused Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in cheap theatrics by tearing copies of the farm laws. She said his government in Delhi was among the first to notify one of the central laws related to agriculture.

 

The Delhi Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution against the Centre's three new agriculture laws with Kejriwal tearing their copies, saying he cannot betray farmers of the country.

 

In a statement here, Badal said the Delhi CM was known as a dramebaaz but this time he indulged in "cheap theatrics" and "unparalleled hypocrisy" by tearing the same laws in the Vidhan Sabha, one of which he had notified on November 23. Asking Kejriwal to have mercy on farmers, Badal said it is strange that the Delhi CM has suddenly discovered that farmers are sitting out in the open in cold wave conditions and over 20 of them have died.

8:33 PM

PM Modi requests farmers to read Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's letter

8:24 PM

Amit Shah holds meeting with Union ministers, BJP general secretaries on farmers' issue

Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting with Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Narendra Singh Tomar to discuss the ongoing farmers' agitation. The meeting was held at the BJP head office here and was also attended by the party's general secretaries CT Ravi, Dushyant Gautam and Arun Singh among others. It lasted for more than an hour.

 

According to sources, during the meeting Shah reviewed the BJP's outreach programme through press conferences and chaupals' or open meetings across all districts of the country to allay fears on the new farm laws.

 

Since the large-scale farmers' agitation began a few weeks ago, the BJP has been organising press conferences and 'chaupals' in all the districts of the country on the new agriculture-related bills passed recently by the Central government. The party has planned to hold 700 press conferences and 700 'chaupals' in the coming days. Shah has been holding meetings with Union Ministers on the protest issue and has also met farmers' leaders.

8:09 PM

Narendra Singh Tomar sends 8-point letter to farmers, assures them of MSP

7:55 PM

Farm-law impasse should be resolved through dialogue: Bharatiya Kisan Union chief

Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait said farmers did not want conflict during the protest against the new farm laws and the issue should be resolved through dialogue. Tikait said the Centre should repeal the farm laws in public interest, adding that the contentious legislations were not in favour of the farmers.

 

Addressing the media in Muzaffarnagar before his departure to Delhi, Tikait suggested that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, BJP veteran L K Advani and RLD leader Ajit Singh should be part of the dialogue to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, members of a number of 'khaps' (caste councils) from Muzaffarnagar district joined the protests near Delhi on Wednesday.

 

The farmers have been camping at several border points into Delhi for three weeks, demanding that the new agri-marketing legislations be repealed as they claim it would benefit the corporates and end the traditional wholesale markets and the minimum support price regime.

7:21 PM

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tears copies of Centre's farm laws, says cannot 'betray' farmers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday tore up copies of the Centre's three new agriculture-related laws in the legislative assembly, saying he cannot betray the country's farmers.

 

Addressing the Delhi Assembly, the chief minister also alleged that the laws have been made for electoral funding of the BJP and not the farmers.

 

I am pained that I have to do this. I did not intend to, but I cannot betray the farmers of my country who have been sleeping on the streets in the cold when the temperature is just 2 degrees Celsius, Kejriwal said, while tearing copies of the three laws. I am a citizen of this country first, a chief minister later. This assembly rejects the three laws and appeals to the central government to meet the demands of farmers, he said. READ ON...

7:00 PM

LIVE updates: Unions ministers hold meeting over farmers' protest issue

A high-level meeting of the government and office bearers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party members was held at the BJP headquarters here in view of the farmers ' agitation which entered its 22nd day on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were present in the meeting, among other top leaders.

 

Some of the most prominent national general secretaries of the party participated in the meeting at the BJP headquarters here. This was the first major meeting amidst the farmers agitation that included all the big ministers and senior leaders of the Modi government under one roof.

 

More than half a dozen general secretaries of the party, who were present at the meeting, lead the organisation in their respective states. After the discussions at the meeting, sources say, the BJP is gearing up to launch an information campaign to explain the three farm laws passed by the Centre to the farmers.

6:23 PM

Not even 1% of farmers opposing farm laws: Gujarat Deputy CM

Very few farmers are backing the protests at Delhi borders against the new farm laws, and "anti-nationals" have infiltrated the agitation, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel claimed on Thursday. The agitation was a conspiracy to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image, he alleged. He was speaking at Morva Hadaf in Panchmahal district as part of the ruling BJP's campaign to counter the agitators' narrative.

 

"Except in Delhi, there are no protests anywhere in the country. No one is agitating in Gujarat. Some 50,000 persons from a population of 130 crore want the government to scrap the laws which are passed by Parliament," he said. "What is the meaning of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha if we have to follow orders of 50,000 persons," Patel said.

 

"While Gujarat has already made changes in the APMC Act, Modi brought these laws for the entire country because they are necessary. If industries are allowed to sell their products anywhere in the country, why can't the farmers? Even Congress was in favour of such reforms but could not implement them when it was in power," he said.

6:17 PM

This is 'opportunistic' politics: BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi after Delhi CM tears up farm laws' copies

5:51 PM

Opposition misleading farmers over agriculture laws: UP CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Thursday alleged that the Opposition parties are "misleading" farmers on the Centre's agriculture laws and said the government will ensure that they get remunerative price of their produce. The chief minister alleged that the demoralised opposition is misleading farmers by telling lies and conspiring against farmers' interests.

 

They are creating confusion among farmers. The 'mandis' (markets) will not be shut. No one will be allowed to grab land of farmers," the CM said. The CM said when the opposition starts working on the basis of caste, creed and religion, then it is the duty of the government to make people aware about the truth.

 

The Centre and the state government are working in the interest of farmers, villagers and the poor under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government will ensure that farmers get their dues and their income increases," he said. The CM claimed that under the previous SP and BSP regimes in the state, several sugar mills were shut.

 

"We have paid sugarcane dues of Rs 1.15 lakh crore to farmers, he claimed, adding that some people are "worried" as the government will increase the minimum support price (MSP) of crops after competition will rise due to the entry of private players.

5:45 PM

Gazipur border (Delhi-UP border) is closed for traffic coming from Ghaziabad to Delhi