Farmers' protests LIVE: Talks have made little progress, say unions

Farmers protest LIVE updates Day 8: Agitating farmers have urged the Union government to convene a special session of Parliament to repeal farm laws. Stay tuned for latest updates on farmers' protest

8:02 PM

Govt-farmers talks deadlocked; Next meeting proposed on Saturday

Talks between three union ministers and a representative group of thousands of agitating farmers failed to yield any resolution on Thursday, as the union leaders stuck to their demand for the repeal of new farm laws and even refused the lunch, tea and water offered to them during almost eight-hour-long hectic parleys.

 

On its part, the government assured the group of nearly 40 farmer leaders that all their valid concerns would be addressed, but the other side flagged several loopholes and deficiencies in the laws, which they said were passed hastily in September. The Agriculture Ministry tweeted that doubts of farmers were addressed by Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who led the government side at the talks.

 

Tomar later told reporters that the next meeting will take place on Saturday at 2 pm. A government source said the meeting would resume on Saturday as no final outcome could be reached due to paucity of time. Union leaders, who came out of the meeting venue shouting slogans, said the talks remained deadlocked and some of them threatened to boycott any further meetings if no solution was found at Thursday's meeting.

7:55 PM

Govt says Agriculture Minister addressed doubts of farmers during meeting with union leaders

7:46 PM

LIVE: Meeting of farmer leaders with Centre concludes. Next meeting on December 5

7:46 PM

Amarinder Singh passed similar farm laws 3 years ago: Sukhbir Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, three years ago, passed the same farm laws in the state Assembly that the union government promulgated recently, said Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday.

 

Further attacking the Congress party, which has the government in Punjab, Badal said that the party, in its 2019 general election manifesto, had promised to abolish government mandis.

 

"I do not share the views of Captain Amarinder Singh because he has passed the same laws in his own Assembly. The farm sector laws, which the union government is implementing were passed three years back by Captain Amarinder Singh in the Punjab Legislative Assembly," the SAD president, in an exclusive interview, told ANI when asked if he shares the view of Punjab government on farmers' protest.

7:20 PM

LIVE: Farmers block Jaipur-Delhi highway to demand withdrawal of farm laws

A group of farmers on Thursday blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway for nearly an hour to demand the withdrawal of the Centre's contentious farm laws. The protestors, under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti, expressed solidarity with the farmers agitating at the national capital's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for nearly a week.

 

A group of farmers also staged a protest on the Rajasthan-Haryana border in Alwar district and said the number of the protestors will increase if the Centre failed to fulfil their demands.

 

"The Centre should withdraw the farm laws immediately. Such a large number of farmers are raising their voice against the anti-farmers laws but the government is taking no step to fulfil the demands, CPI-M leader Ravindra Shukla said. In Alwar, the agitating farmers were joined by the Rashtriya Kisan Mahapanchayat president Rampal Jat said. We are waiting for the outcome of the meeting being held in Delhi. If there is no positive result, the farmers will be mobilised from here, Jat said.

6:58 PM

Punjab Police Sub Inspector serves food to farmers on Singhu border

While the protests against the new farm laws entered their eighth day on Thursday, a police official from the Punjab Police was seen doing 'seva' (serving food) at the langar at Delhi's Singhu Border. In a rare sight, Sub Inspector Balvinder Singh from Punjab Police took forward the tradition of community service, one of the integral principles of Sikhism, as he was seen serving meals to farmers and others who were protesting at the Singhu Border.

 

When IANS tried to speak to Singh, he refused to do so saying that he does not want any publicity because he is only following the principles of Sikhism of serving and feeding people. The protests at the Singhu border began soon after morning prayers. Security arrangements in the area have been beefed up with addition of one more layer of barricades.

 

Farmers have been sitting on protest for the last eight days at Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders. Thousands of farmers have been camping at the Singhu border, while several other groups have blocked the entry at the Delhi-Haryana border in Tikri, the Delhi-UP Ghazipur border and the Delhi-UP Chilla border.

6:23 PM

Farmers protest against farm laws on National Highway-24 at Ghazipur border

6:16 PM

It's also about our future, says farmer's kid between online classes

6:06 PM

Agitating farmers assemble at Ghazipur border; try to break police barricades

6:05 PM

Congress protests in support of agitating farmers in Aurangabad

The Congress party held an agitation in Maharashtra's Aurangabad city on Thursday to express solidarity with the farmers protesting on the borders of Delhi seeking withdrawal the new farm laws. The Aurangabad unit of the Congress held the protest at the collector office here, during which the party workers and local functionaries raised slogans against the Modi government over the issue.

 

Congress's district unit president Kalyan Kale said, "We held the agitation against the anti-farmer and anti-labour laws brought by the Centre."

 

"Our party commenced the agitation against these acts at the national level and farmers have now come together on the issue. In a bid to crush the farmers' agitation, the Centre fired water cannons on the protesters and also lathi- charged them," he said. "We held the protest in support of the farmers," Kale added.

5:46 PM

Farmers refuse lunch at meeting with government at Vigyan Bhawan

Amid the fourth round of discussion between the Centre and the farmers over the three farm laws at New Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan on Thursday, farmer unions decided to boycott government-served food and beverages.

 

"We are not accepting food or tea offered by the government. We have brought our own food, we will eat that," a farmer leader said during lunch break.

 

The fourth round of talks commenced between the Centre and representatives of farmers' today afternoon at Vigyan Bhawan, with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister Piyush Goyal representing the Central government. Before the meeting, the Union Agriculture Minister while talking to the media hoped that the fourth round of dialogue will bring some positive outcome to the farmers' issues.

 

"Government is constantly discussing issues with farmers. Today is the fourth round of talks and I'm hoping for a positive outcome," said Tomar while talking to media.

 

The government had held the third round of talks with farmer representatives on Tuesday. During the talks, the Centre offered to set up a committee, which the farmers' unions rejected, and instead demanded a special session of Parliament to repeal what they have called "black laws" made to favour corporate bodies. Farmers said they will continue their protest till their issues are resolved.
 

Notably, farmers have warned that Thursday's talks are the "last chance" for the government to take a decision on the laws.

5:31 PM

Farmers' protest LIVE: Delhi Police close one carriageway of NH-24 for UP to Delhi at Gazipur border

5:18 PM

Farmers' protest LIVE: Key routes connecting UP-Delhi closed

Police on Thursday closed routes on two national highways connecting Ghaziabad to Delhi as farmers remained adamant on their demand for scrapping of the Centre's agriculture reform laws and stayed put at the national capital's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The protesting farmers had on Wednesday threatened to block other roads of Delhi if their demands were not met.

 

"The local police have closed the routes on NH-9 and NH-24 from Ghaziabad to Delhi. On NH-1, both sides of the route have been closed near Shani Mandir," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.

 

The crowd of farmers continued to swell at Ghazipur, prompting the police to close the Delhi-UP border on NH-24.

 

"The Ghazipur border on NH-24 is closed for traffic from Ghaziabad towards Delhi due to farmers' protests. People are advised to avoid NH-24 for coming to Delhi and use Apsara/Bhopra/DND instead," the traffic police said.

 

It said NH-44 is closed on both sides and asked people to take alternate routes via NH-8, Bhopra, Apsara border, and Peripheral expressway At the Chilla border, one carriageway from Delhi to Noida has been opened for traffic. However, the other carriageway from Noida to Delhi is still closed. People commuting from Noida to Delhi are advised to avoid Noida link road, the traffic police said.

4:57 PM

LIVE: Farmers continue their protest in Delhi against the new farm laws

4:40 PM

Uttar Pradesh farmers demand farm commission as they threaten to intensify stir

The farmers from Uttar Pradesh protesting at the Delhi border points against the Centre's new farm laws on Thursday threatened to intensify their stir and called for forming a commission to look into their grievances. Expressing their full support to the protesting farmers of Punjab and Haryana, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu group) cautioned against moves to divide the farmers protest.

 

Talking to media on Wednesday, BKU UP chief Yogesh Pratap Singh and General Secretary Shailendra Pal Singh said apart from revocation of the new farm laws, the farmers have also been demanding forming a Farm Commission comprising agricultural scientists and farmers.

 

The BKU leaders said more farmers from surrounding districts are expected to join them in the coming days. Meanwhile,the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) held a meeting here Wednesday evening in support of the farmers stir.