New Delhi: Federal Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with protesting farmers on November 8 failed to find a solution as both sides remaining firm on their positions.
The farmers refused to accept the government’s offer of amendment in the laws, sticking to their demand for a complete scrapping. There are chances that the a meeting scheduled for November 9 will not be held.
The farmer leaders attending the meeting said they would discuss the way ahead after a meeting on November 9 at the Singhu border, where hundreds of thousands have been camping for 13 days.
Sources said the government will give its proposal in writing, which will be discussed at the internal meeting of the farmers.
The offer of amendment in the laws was first made at a meeting held on November 5, and there was expectation that the government might be making a fresh proposal. The government, however, has made it clear that there has been no rethink on its last stated position.
The home minister’s invite for talks, indicating that the government is engaging with the farmers at the highest level, came as a nationwide shutdown or Bharat Bandh called by protesting farmers hit road and rail traffic in parts of the country, blocked many highways and shut down markets, affecting supplies.
“There is no midway. We will demand just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from the Home Minister at today’s meeting,” farmer leader Rudru Singh Mansa had told reporters at the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana, one of the main centers of the weeklong protest.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, NCP, Aam Aadmi Party, DMK and TRS, have backed the protest. They plan to meet with President Ram Nath Kovind November 9 to convey their stand and concerns.
Farmer groups said they would not accept anything short of the scrapping of three new laws enacted in September, which they fear will reduce their earnings and leave them at the mercy of corporate firms.
Source: ndtv.com