Doors have not been shut for dialogue, they say

 NEW DELHI (TIP):  Responding to the renewed appeal by the Union government to the farmer unions to consider their proposal for amendments in the three agriculture sector laws, the joint front of the farmer unions maintained that they too had not “shut the doors” for negotiations but the government must come up with a “concrete solution” to end the impasse.

Reacting to the government’s appeal for talks, Bharatiya Kisan Union (R) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, in a press conference by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders at Singhu border, the proposals sent by the government on Wednesday, December 9,  had been discussed for hours in several meetings and there was nothing new in them.

He reiterated that the agriculture was a state subject and the three laws were “unconstitutional” and be withdrawn. “The ministers in the press conference today conceded that the laws were for trade and commerce, validating our stand,” Rajewal said. He added that the focus of the government was traders and corporate houses and the farmers did not exist for them.

Krantikari Kisan Union president Darshan Pal said the farmer unions were, “in principle”, opposed to contract farming, private markets and hoarding, and therefore, the three laws should be repealed. He also alleged that farmers headed for Delhi from neighboring states such as Uttarakhand, were being harassed by the police.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday, December 10,  made an appeal to farmer union leaders to consider the proposals sent by the Central government and continue the dialogue. He was holding a press briefing with the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal on the matter.

Saying he was “pained” to see that farmers were not able to take decisions despite all their doubts being addressed by the government, Tomar said the government was ready to talk to them with an “open mind”. He added that farmers should soon decide on the next date of talks. Tomar said farmer unions should give up the path of agitation since it was not correct to intensify the stir when talks were on. On the possibility of repealing the three contentious laws, Tomar said that no law was “completely bad”. He reiterated that the government was “ready to discuss with an open mind” any provisions that the farmers felt were against them.

(The Hindu)