Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Wednesday said the Centre is not holding any informal meeting with protesting farmers. He said that more barricading, security increase and internet service suspension in and around the protest locations is a law and order issue which is related to the local administrations.
The 11th round of talks between the 41 farmers’ unions and the Centre was held on January 22, which remained inconclusive and was also the last meeting between both the sides.
Asked when the government will hold the next round of talks and if it was engaging with the unions informally, Tomar replied in the negative. "No. We will inform when formal talks will be held," Tomar media.
On being told that the farmer unions had announced that no formal talks will further take place with the government until the police and the administration stop "harassing" them and release the jailed farmers, the minister said, "They should talk to the Police Commissioner. I don't want to comment on the law and order issue. That's not my job."
However, Prime Minister Modi in an all-party meeting on Saturday had said the government's proposal to put a halt on the farm laws for 12 to 18 months was still on the and the agriculture minister was just a phone call away to take the talks forward.
Meanwhile, the protest sites at Delhi's borders have turned into forts with police beefing up security and putting up multi-layer barricades, putting nails on roads to stop the movement of vehicles.