Centre calls farmer leaders for talks on December 3

Farmers want govt to repeal the new agriculture laws which, they claim, will lead to dismantling of the MSP regime, a charge denied by the Centre.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Nov 24, 2020 12:35 PM IST

A comprehensive travel advisory issued by the state government on Tuesday mentioned the commuters may face traffic blockages on roads at entry points from Punjab into Haryana on November 25 and November 26 and on entry points from Haryana into Delhi on November 26 and November 27.

WITH the farmer unions relenting in their stand allowing train services to resume in Punjab, the Centre has called them for a second round of minister-level talks on December 3. This was one of the conditions laid by the farmer leaders while calling off their ‘rail roko’ agitation.

A top official told The Indian Express, “On behalf of the Central Government, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey has invited the representatives of 32 farm organisations for the next round of talks.” Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal will be present at the meeting.

While the farmers gave up their demand that they would only allow goods trains and not passenger, as a two-month blockade threatened essential supplies, they have threatened to go ahead with their plans to “lay siege” to Delhi on November 26 and 27.

Officials from the Food and Agriculture Departments of the Punjab government have also been invited for the talks. The Centre will be represented by Tomar, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Goyal, who has been assigned additional charge of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution apart from Railways.

Farmers want the government to repeal the new agriculture laws which, they claim, will lead to dismantling of the MSP regime, a charge denied by the Centre.

The first round of talks, held between Tomar, Goyal and the farmer leaders in Delhi on November 13, had remained inconclusive with both sides refusing to budge from their respective stands.

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

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