After the protesting farmers rejected centre’s proposal of early talks and shifting of their protests location, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday had a late-night talk at BJP chief JP Nadda's Delhi house. Reportedly, the meeting went for over two hours while the meeting was held after protesters threatened to block five entry points to Delhi.
Few takeaways from the meeting:
- The protesting farmers have threatened to block the roads to Delhi from five entry points - Sonipat, Rohtak, Jaipur, Ghaziabad-Hapur, and Mathura. The Delhi Police on Monday morning has appealed to the commuters to take alternate routes as key roads near borders with neighbouring Haryana stay closed.
- Amid huge protests against the three controversial agricultural laws, Amit Shah on Saturday said the government was ready to deliberate on "every problem and demand" if the farmers were ready to shift to another protest location. However, Amit Shah said the protesters have to shift to the given venue if they want an early discussion with the government which is scheduled for December 3.
- After a meeting on Sunday, the farmers rejected the government’s proposal for early talks, said that they shouldn’t have kept preconditions.
- The government's offer was rejected over fears of the spot to become jails, which was speculated after the Delhi Police sought permission from the Arvind Kejriwal government to turn stadiums to jails for protesters.
- Surjeet Phul, Bharatiya Kisan Union president, told reporters on Sunday, "We've decided that we'll never go to Burari Park (protest site suggested by the government) as we got proof that it's an open jail. Delhi Police told the Uttarakhand Farmers Association chief that they'll take them to Jantar Mantar but instead locked them at Burari Park.” He added, "Instead of going to open jail in Burari, we've decided that we will gherao Delhi by blocking five main entry points to Delhi. We've got ration for four months with us, so there's nothing to worry.”
- According to sources, the rift between Chief Ministers of Haryana ML Khattar and Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh that started after the protests began was also discussed during the meeting.
- The protest that was planned for over two months, has the support of 500 farmers' organisations. The Farm union leaders said some 3 lakh farmers are participating in the protest march.
- Farmers have been raising their voices against the three farm laws that aim at doing away with middlemen and increasing farmers' profits by allowing them to sell produce anywhere in the country has almost reached its third month.
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- Farmers and opposition parties alleged that these farm laws will deny the farmers of a secured minimum price for their crop and leave them at the mercy of corporates.
- Addressing the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi through his radio show "Mann Ki Baat" said that the centre's new agricultural reformations have opened "many more opportunities" for the farmers, and has met their demands.