LIVE updates: SC-appointed panel starts consultation on three farm laws

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: The second round of meeting between the police and farmer unions regarding the proposed January 26 tractor rally by them remained inconclusive

9:36 PM

Meeting ongoing, no decision to reject govt proposal to suspend laws for 18 months made: BKU

9:01 PM

Protesting farmer unions reject govt's proposal to suspend farm laws for 18 months: Sankyukt Kisan Morcha

8:52 PM

Opposition in Bihar to hold week-long stir against farm laws: Tejashwi Yadav

The opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar would launch an agitation against the farm laws shortly which would conclude with a state-wide human chain a week later, the coalitions leader Tejashwi Yadav announced on Thursday.

 

Addressing a press conference soon after a meeting of MLAs of his RJD where the programme was finalised, Yadav said, the Kisan Jagriti Saptaah (farmers awareness week) will commence on January 24, the birth anniversary of former chief minister and OBC stalwart Karpoori Thakur.

 

"All leaders of the five-party Grand Alliance will be hitting the streets as part of the stir against the Centres agriculture policy which could reduce our farmers to the status of beggars", said Yadav adding that the human chain will be held on January 30, coinciding with the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi.

8:03 PM

Protesting farmer unions hold marathon meeting ahead of talks with govt

A day before their eleventh round of talks with the government, protesting unions leaders held a marathon meeting on Thursday to discuss the Centre's proposal to suspend the three contentious farm laws for 18 months and set up a joint committee to find an amicable solution in the interest of the farming community.

 

Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farm unions leading protests at several Delhi border points, held discussion over the government's latest offer at the Singhu border. A farmer leader said that the Morcha started its meeting around 2.30 pm on Thursday and it is expected to last till late evening.

 

During the tenth round of negotiations on Wednesday, the government proposed to suspend the three contentious farm laws for 1-1.5 years and set up a joint committee to find an amicable solution in the interest of the farming community. The two sides decided to meet again on Friday.

 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-appointed panel on the new agri laws started its consultation process on Thursday and interacted with 10 farmer organisations from eight states, including Uttar Pradesh.

7:27 PM

Govt under misconception that only Punjab, Haryana farmers in battle against agri laws: Jharkhand CM

Raising questions over the Centre's offer to suspend the farm laws instead of repealing them, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said the government is under a "misconception" that only the farmers of Punjab and Haryana are in this "battle" and asserted that tillers across the country want the scrapping of the "repressive" legislations.

 

He said that if the farmers' agitation is not dealt with empathetically by the government, it will soon spread to different parts of the country. In an interview with PTI, Soren also said the impasse between the government and the farmers over the new agri laws was tarnishing India's image at international forums.

 

After making the farmers suffer on the streets for months, the central government has suggested to suspend the three contentious farm laws for one and half years instead of repealing them completely, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president said.

6:44 PM

Farmers' agitation has caused business loss of Rs 50,000 crore in Delhi-NCR: CAIT

Traders' body CAIT on Thursday said the ongoing farmers' agitation in Delhi-NCR has caused a business loss of nearly Rs 50,000 crore.

 

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Secretary-General Praveen Khandelwal said the government's fresh proposal to keep farm laws in abeyance for one-and-a-half year and constitute a joint committee with farmer leaders "is quite justified and reasonable which indicates its willingness to resolve the crisis".

 

Khandelwal said that therefore, now, the farmers should accept this proposal in the larger interest of farming community and those engaged in agriculture trade, and call off their agitation.

5:22 PM

SC-appointed panel starts consultation on agri laws; interacts with farm bodies

The Supreme Court-appointed panel on the new agri laws on Thursday started its consultation process and interacted with 10 farmer organisations from eight states, including Uttar Pradesh. The apex court had on January 11 stayed the implementation of the three laws, against which farmers are protesting at Delhi borders for nearly two months now, till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse.

 

Currently, there are three members in the panel as the fourth, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, has recused himself from the committee. The panel, in a statement, said that the interaction was held through video conference with various farmer unions and associations on Thursday.

 

Ten farmer organisations from Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh participated in discussions with committee members, it said.

 

"The farmers' unions participated in the discussion and gave their frank opinion including suggestions to improve the implementation of Acts," the statement said.

4:24 PM

Govt denied permission to hold tractor rally on Delhi's outer ring road, says farmer leader

Darshan Pal, Krantikari Kisan Union on Thursday that the Central government has said that the proposed tractor rally on Republic Day can not be conducted on Delhi's outer ring road due to security reasons. His remarks came after attending a meeting between farmers and Delhi Police over the tractor rally against the three agriculture laws.

 

"The Central government has said that tractor parade on Republic Day can not be conducted on Delhi's outer ring road, due to security reasons. We are clear that we will conduct a tractor parade there only. After tomorrow's meeting with Centre, we will hold another meeting with police" said Darshan Pal, Krantikari Kisan Union.

 

The police officials said that the outer ring road is "very sensitive" and they would have allowed the parade if it would be held on Republic Day. However, the farmers are determined to hold their rally at the proposed site only.

 

"To ensure the smooth conduction of the Republic Day parade is the job of the Delhi Police and we are committed to its consummation. We can't talk of any specific measures still," Manish Agrawal, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police (Traffic) said.

3:59 PM

Farmers and police meeting on tractor rally ends inconclusively

The meeting between farmer leaders and Delhi Police officials on the issue of the tractor march on January 26 remained inconclusive. The meeting was held at the Mantram Resort on Thursday. Now, another meeting is expected to be held on Friday.

 

However, the farmers will discuss all these issues among themselves first, for which a joint Kisan Morcha meeting will be held at the Singhu border. By Thursday evening it is expected that the farmers will unveil their strategy in front of everyone.

 

The meeting was attended by Delhi Police's Special CP (Law and Order) Sanjay Singh, Special CP (Intelligence) Dipendra Pathak, Joint CP S.S. Yadav and two additional DCPs of the Delhi Police, besides senior officers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police. Darshan Pal, Yogendra Yadav, Yudhveer Singh and other farmer leaders attended the meeting on behalf of the farmer organisations.

 

Yogendra Yadav said, "While the farmers are adamant to parade on Ring Road, the Delhi Police is not ready to accept our demand. The rally will be held in a peaceful manner. The reputation of the festival of public will remain."

2:38 PM

We need to ensure smooth conduction of Republic Day parade: Delhi Police

2:16 PM

Punjab govt gives Rs 500,000 each to families of four farmers who died during protest against farm laws

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh each has been given to the families of four farmers from Ludhiana who lost their lives while participating in the ongoing protest against the Centre's agricultural reforms, a senior officer said on Thursday. Braving cold weather conditions and rain, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now against the three farm laws.

 

Several farmers participating in the agitation have died due to different reasons including heart attack and road accidents.

 

On the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Rs 5 lakh compensation is being provided to the families of farmers who unfortunately lost their lives during the protest against the Centre's farm laws, said Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma. Till date, he said, five farmers from Ludhiana district have lost their lives while participating in the agitation.

2:05 PM

Farmers' tractor rally on R-Day: No headway at police-farmer unions meeting

The second round of meeting between the police and farmer unions regarding the proposed January 26 tractor rally by them remained inconclusive on Thursday as the farmers stuck to their demand of taking out the rally on Delhi's busy Outer Ring Road. Taking to reporters after the meeting, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said the police wanted the farmer leaders to take out their tractor rally outside the national capital.

 

"We will do our parade peacefully inside Delhi. They wanted us to hold the tractor rally outside Delhi, which is not possible," Yadav, who is actively participating in the ongoing agitation against the Centre's new farm laws, said.

 

Sources said police officers tried to convince the protesting farm unions to hold their tractor rally on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway instead of the Outer Ring Road, but in vain.

 

A farmer leader, who attended the meeting with the police, said, "The government wants us to take out our rally outside Delhi, but we want to hold it inside Delhi. No decision was taken in today's meeting." Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) S S Yadav coordinated the meeting held at Mantram Resort near the Singhu border.

1:12 PM

Meeting underway between Delhi Police, farmer unions on tractor rally

A meeting is underway between the Delhi Police and farmer unions regarding the proposed tractor rally by them on Republic Day, officials said.

 

Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) S S Yadav is coordinating the meeting which is being held at Mantram Resort near the Singhu border, they said.