New Delhi (TIP): Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief and head of Baliyan Khap Naresh Tikait advised the Union government on Thursday, Dec 17,  to resolve the issue of farmers’ stir over three farm laws by calling an all party meeting. Tikait was interacting with mediapersons after a meeting with khap heads in Baraut area of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. He later left for Delhi to attend the BKU’s Mahapanchayat at Ghazipur border on Thursday, Dec 17.

Tikait said that the government should resolve the issue of protests over the farm laws through dialogue instead of adopting a stiff attitude. He added that since six rounds of talks between farmers and the government had yielded no results, the government should call an all party meeting to resolve the impasse.

The farmer leader accused the government of a stubborn attitude while farmers were braving acute cold under the open skies since the past 21 days. He said that the government wanted a confrontation between different groups of farmers. “They are farmers who want a solution for their problems, not confrontation, either with the government or with each other,” he said and explained that the farmers might be associated with different organizations but they had a common goal.

Tikait’s comments come at a time when Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has reached out to protesting farmers with an open letter, saying a “misunderstanding” has been created among some farmer unions and “white lies” are being spread on the issue of minimum support price for crops.

Protesting farmers fear the new farm laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the ‘mercy’ of big corporations. However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.

Hundreds of farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws- Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

                (Source: HT)

DMK, allies begin hunger strike in support of protesting farmers

The DMK-led opposition in Tamil Nadu on Friday, Dec 18,  embarked on a day-long hunger strike in support of farmers protesting against the three farm laws enacted by the Centre recently. Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting outside Delhi for over three weeks against the central legislations. On Friday, DMK chief and Leader of Opposition, MK Stalin, party MP Kanimozhi and leaders of alliance parties participated in the protest here.