Farmers' protest LIVE: Centre, farmer unions meeting postponed to Jan 20

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: A day before the SC hearing, agitating farmer unions remained firm on holding a tractor rally on the Republic Day

Farmers' protest LIVE updates Day 54: The Supreme Court-appointed committee on the three new farm laws is scheduled to hold its first meeting with members on Tuesday at Pusa campus.

The Supreme Court told the Centre today that the proposed tractor rally on the Republic Day by farmers protesting against the new farm laws is a law and order matter and Delhi Police is the first authority to decide who should be allowed to enter the national capital.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, while hearing the Centre's application seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor or trolley march or any other kind of protest which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations on January 26, said that police has all the authority to deal with the matter.

A day before the hearing, agitating farmer unions remained firm on holding a tractor rally on the Republic Day and vowed to continue their stir till the agri laws were repealed, even as Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged them to discuss alternatives to scrapping the legislation at the next meeting scheduled for January 19.

"We are prepared to sit in protest till May 2024... Our demand is that the three laws be taken back and the government provide a legal guarantee on the MSP," Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait told reporters in Nagpur.

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful."

"There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors," he said.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislation would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

11:04 PM

Govt-farmers meeting scheduled tomorrow postponed to Jan 20: Agri ministry

The meeting between farmer unions & the Central govt scheduled for Jan 19 has been postponed to Jan 20: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

10:52 PM

Tomar appeals to farmer unions to call off tractor rally

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday hoped that protesting farmer unions will discuss alternatives other than the repeal of the new farm laws in the tenth round of talks and appealed to them not to go ahead with their tractor rally on Republic Day in Delhi. The crucial tenth round of meeting with 41 farm unions is scheduled for Tuesday. The talks have failed to yield any concrete results as the agitating unions have stuck to their main demand for repealing the agri laws and the government has ruled out any such step.

Speaking to reporters here, Tomar said: "Tomorrow, there is a meeting. I am hopeful that farmers' unions will discuss alternatives (other than the repeal of the laws) so that we can reach a solution." The current stalemate continues because no discussion is happening on provisions of the laws from unions' side, he said.

Reiterating that new agri-laws are in the interest of the farming community, the minister said there is opposition in some states. "We had nine rounds of talks so far. I have always said that farmers' unions should discuss the provisions of the laws. The government is discussing and wants to discuss with an open heart if they point out any problem with provisions of the laws," he said.

9:58 PM

Impasse on as unions not discussing problematic clauses: Tomar

On the eve of the tenth round of talks between the Centre and agitating farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday said the stalemate continues as farmer unions are not discussing the provisions they find problematic and appealed to them to discuss "options" which could resolve the "problem".

Speaking to reporters here, Tomar said the government has been discussing the issue of the three new agri laws with agitating farmers with an "open mind".

 

"We are willing to discuss the issues concerning the three laws with an open mind, but they (farmer unions) are not discussing the provisions (in the legislations) that are problematic, and therefore the stalemate continues," he said. "Tomorrow (Tuesday), we are meeting again and I am hopeful that if they (farm unions) discuss options then it will lead to the solution of the problem," Tomar said.

 

"Nine rounds of discussions have taken place so far with the agitating farmer unions. I have always been telling them to discuss those provisions which are problematic for cultivators," he said. Tomar said the Central government has always been ready for talks and to amend those provisions with an open mind, and is doing so also. "But unions are unable to discuss these provisions which have resulted in the stalemate," Tomar said.

 

9:01 PM

Farmers' stir: Joint forum distances itself from its leader Chaduni's meeting with opposition parties

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint forum of farmer organisations spearheading the ongoing protest against farm laws, on Monday disassociated itself from a meeting its constituent Gurnam Singh Chaduni had attended with some opposition leaders, and reiterated that the movement "will not have any direct engagement with any political party".

 

A controversy erupted after Bhartiya Kisan Union-Haryana president Chaduni attended the meeting along with the opposition leaders in Delhi on Sunday and supported a call for convening a 'Jan Sansad' (People's Parliament) on the farmers' issue on January 22-23.

 

In a statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said its coordination committee "inquired into the controversial matter of Chaduni's meeting with several political parties".

 

"Chaduni, clarifying his stand to the committee, stated in writing that yesterday's meeting was organised by him in his personal capacity. SKM is not associated with this activity in any way. Realising this, he assured the committee that in future, while the ongoing farmers' agitation is underway, he will not attend any political party meeting," it said, adding that the committee "welcomed his statement and decided to end the controversy here".

8:43 PM

We're not leaving anytime soon: Bhartiya Kisan Union on tomorrow's meeting with govt

7:53 PM

SC-appointed panel on farm laws to hold first meeting on Tuesday

The Supreme Court-appointed committee on the three new farm laws is scheduled to hold its first meeting with members on Tuesday at Pusa campus here, its member Anil Ghanwat said.

 

"We are going to meet tomorrow. Only members will meet to discuss the terms of reference and decide the future course of action," Ghanwat, president of Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra), told PTI before boarding a flight to Delhi.

 

The Supreme Court had on January 11 stayed the implementation of the three laws, against which farmers are protesting at Delhi borders for over 50 days now, till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse.

 

Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann, however, recused himself from the committee last week. Apart from Ghanwat, agri-economists Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi are the other members of the panel. The panel will hear views of farmers across the country, both who support and oppose the new farm laws, and submit a report within two months to the apex court.

7:03 PM

Both sides want early end to impasse: Govt on farmers' protest

A day before the crucial tenth round of talks with representatives of protesting farmers on controversial new farm laws, the Centre on Monday said both sides want to resolve the long-continuing stalemate at the earliest but it was getting delayed due to involvement of people of other ideologies. Asserting that the new farm laws are in the interest of the farming community, the government said obstacles do come whenever good things or measures are taken and it is taking longer to resolve the issue as farmers' leaders want a solution their own way.

 

The tenth round of talks between the Centre and 41 protesting farmers' unions is scheduled for Tuesday at 12 noon at Vigyan Bhawan in the heart of the national capital.

 

Separately, a Supreme Court-appointed panel to resolve the crisis is also scheduled to hold its first meeting on Tuesday. The previous rounds of talks between the government and farmers have failed to reach any concrete results, as protesting unions have stuck to their main demand for repealing the new laws, but the government has refused to do so.

6:23 PM

Just a few people disagreeing: Union minister on farm protests

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said the protests against the Centre's farm laws were just a few people in disagreement, and added that the changes allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere like traders. Speaking to reporters in Betul, the Union minister for petroleum and gas also took a swipe at protesters claiming it was difficult to make those understand who wanted to remain asleep.

 

"The disagreement of a few people cannot be called a farmers agitation. Is it there in Betul? MP agriculture minister Kamal Patel has shared his experiences with me. We are talking in a straight manner and are able to put forth our views in villages," he said.

 

He said the new farm laws allowed cultivators to sell their produce anywhere "just like a trader can sell his clothes in any market in the country". When queried on whether the Centre was not being able to make the protesters understand its viewpoint, Pradhan said, "We are trying to make them understand. But in a democracy, it is a little difficult to make those understand who want to remain asleep," he said.

5:04 PM

Jharkhand CM meets Sonia, Rahul; farmers' protest, filling vacant Cabinet berths discussed

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Congress president Sonia Gandhi here on Monday and several issues related to the coalition government in the state, including filling up vacant Cabinet berths, and the farmers' protest against the Centre's new agri laws, were discussed.

 

Soren, who is heading a coalition government of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at the Congress chief's 10 Janpath residence. Congress' Jharkhand in-charge R P N Singh was also present during the meeting.

 

Singh said it was a courtesy meeting as Soren had not met Gandhi for over a year. JMM sources said that during the meeting Soren also discussed the roadmap of the coalition government going forward after completing one year in office last month.

 

 

4:50 PM

Proposed tractor rally on Jan 26: We will take up this matter on Jan 20, SC tells Centre

3:47 PM

Thousands of farmers hold a tractor march at Chandigarh-Punjab border

3:33 PM

We will not quarrel, but celebrate R-Day: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait

The farmers protesting against the new Central farm laws have announced a 'Tractor March' on Republic Day. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard the petition of the Delhi Police on the issue. The apex court said it is for the Delhi Police to decide whether it would allow the farmers to enter Delhi or not. The apex court asserted that it is the Delhi Police and not the judiciary which has the authority to decide on the issue.

 

Responding to this SC order, the National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Rakesh Tikait, said the highest court has taken cognizance of the matter, it is a good thing that the law and order situation must be looked into by the police. At the same time, the farmers leaders have said they would take out a parade on Outer Ring Road in the national capital so the police should come and talk to them and remove the roadblocks for the parade.

 

Tikait said the citizens of the country cannot be stopped by constitutional institutions or the police from celebrating Republic Day. "We are not going to the national capital to fight. We will celebrate the R-Day in Delhi, earlier we used to celebrate it in the fields and villages. Now we are here in Delhi so we will celebrate the day here," the BKU spokesperson added.

3:00 PM

Farmers have constitutional right to take out tractor rally: Unions

Protesting union leaders on Monday said that farmers have a constitutional right to take out their tractor rally peacefully and asserted that thousands of people will participate in the proposed event on January 26. The Supreme Court said on Monday that the Delhi Police is the first authority to decide the entry of protesting farmers into the national capital.

 

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) Punjab general secretary Paramjit Singh said that farmers are not going to hold their rally on Rajpath and in other high-security areas, adding that they would only take out it on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi and that there will be no disruption in the official Republic Day parade.

 

"We are stuck at the Delhi borders. We have not decided to sit at these borders ourselves, we have been stopped from entering Delhi. We will take out the rally peacefully without disrupting any law and order. We will exercise our constitutional right and we will definitely enter Delhi," Singh told PTI.

1:48 PM

Deal with it: SC tells Delhi Police on farmers' Republic Day tractor rally

While hearing the Centre's plea against the proposed tractor rally by farmers on Republic Day, the Supreme Court on Monday said that entry into Delhi is a law and order issue and the police should determine who should be allowed the entry and on what conditions. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, told Attorney General KK Venugopal appearing for the Centre that the court cannot be the authority to decide who can enter in Delhi and who cannot.

 

"We said this last time that entry to Delhi has to be seen under Delhi police. Invoke all your powers to see whether farmers can be allowed in the city, but who can be allowed or not are matters of law and order and will be dealt by police. We cannot be the first authority here," the CJI said.

 

Attorney General Venugopal told the Bench that tractor rally by farmers will be illegal and 5000 people are likely to enter Delhi during that time. To this, the bench, also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian asked the Attorney General whether the Union of India needs the Supreme Court to state what powers it has under the police act.

11:47 AM

Question of entry into Delhi is a law and order situation that is to be determined by the police, says SC

AG : The entry of 5000 people into Delhi will be illegal

 

CJI : You are at liberty to invoke all powers under the law