Govt seeks more time, fixes December 9 for the next round of talks: Top developments

During the fifth round of talk, the government sought more time from farmer unions to present a concrete proposal and suggested the next round of talks be scheduled on December 9.

During the meeting, farmers went on a 'maun vrat', asking the government to answer in 'yes' or 'no' to their demand for repealing new farm laws, Union leaders were quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Narendra Singh Tomar requested the farmer leaders present in the meeting over farm laws. "I appeal to all of you to kindly ask senior citizens and children, at the protest site, to go home."

The fourth round of talks concluded on Thursday evening with the government agreeing to re-consider some of the provisions introduced under the three new agriculture bills. The Centre indicated it could consider measures such as equal taxes for Agricultural produce market committee (APMC) mandis and private markets, registration of private traders and allowing higher courts of appeal in contract farming disputes.

The mood at the end of the fourth round of talks, however, was not very optimistic as the Centre’s negotiators — Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and food and consumer affairs minister Piyush Goyal — plainly indicated to the farm unions that repealing the three new agri laws was unlikely, while the unions continued to insist on scrapping the legislations.

“The government has given some indications over MSP. The talks have made a little progress, but farmers want that the laws be taken back,” said Bharat Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait after the talks.

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) also demanded that the government unconditionally withdraw cases filed across India on protesting farmers.

"AIKS strongly condemns the cowardly effort by the Modi Govt to use the Delhi Police in a bid to intimidate leaders, activists protesting against the Anti-Farmer Acts," the farmer union tweeted from its official handle.

Hardening their position ahead of the fifth round of talks with the government, agitating farmers on Friday announced a Bharat bandh on December 8 and said they would occupy toll plazas on that day.

"We have planned to block all roads leading to Delhi in the coming days if new farm laws are not scrapped," said Harvinder Singh Lakhwal, a farmer leader.

A joint platform of ten central trade unions has extended its support to a call of Bharat bandh by farmer organisations.

The Left parties, too, extended their support to the farmer organisations' call for a Bharat bandh and urged other opposition parties to join forces against the recent farm laws.

The parties, including Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc, also extended their solidarity with the ongoing agitation by farmers.

"Farmers' doubts will be cleared in today’s meeting with Centre. In recent meetings, some issues were clarified. It's Opposition's politics, they're instigating the protest. The meeting will be fruitful & we expect farmers will roll back protest," said MoS agriculture, Kailash Choudhary.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the farm reform legislation was brought in after elaborate stakeholder consultations and a lot of homework and will benefit farmers.

Asserting that the reforms were not done in a jiffy, she said the agriculture minister is meeting farmers with an open mind and hoped that a solution will be found soon. "Between 2014-2020, we have proven that we take MSP (Minimum Support Price) seriously," she said. Sitharaman said that the agriculture ministry has gone through the process of talking to stakeholders and these are the things that have been in discussions for a very long time.

Ahead of the crucial meeting with protesting farmer organisations, Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliberate over proposals likely to be made to the agitating groups. Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal were also present in the meeting with the prime minister.

Modi's decision to hold deliberations with Union ministers, who have so far been the face of the Centre's efforts to end the farmers' agitation, signifies the importance the prime minister has attached to defuse the crisis, the sources said.

Several opposition leaders supported the farmers' call to repeal the law. The Congress, led by its former president Rahul Gandhi, has been vociferously opposing the farm bills since they were enacted earlier this year. The Congress MP urged the people of the country, using Twitter as a medium, to come out in support of the ongoing protests. Rajasthan CM and senior Congress Ashok Gehlot asked the Centre to immediately repeal the new farm laws and apologise to the protesting farmers for allegedly misbehaving with them.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called for a three-day protest in Kolkata in support of farmers against the new farm laws. In a series of tweets, Banerjee tweeted, "I am very much concerned about the farmers, their lives and livelihood. The central government must withdraw the anti-farmer bills.

"When Congress opposed anti-farmers bills, the ruling party accused us of undermining the interest of farmers… Now the same government has been forced to bow down and concede to demands of farmers in a very reluctant manner," said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav too demanded the Centre repeals the "black laws".

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin held a protest rally in Salem against the farm laws. "We went to the court against the laws. Kerala and Punjab have already approached Court. Our chief minister says he's a farmer first, why has he not taken any step?" he asked.

United Nation says people have a right to demonstrate peacefully. "People have a right to demonstrate peacefully and authorities should let them do so, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said on the farmers' protests in India. “As to the question of India, what I would say to you is what I've said to others when raising these issues is that people have a right to demonstrate peacefully, and authorities need to let them do so,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said on Friday. Dujarric was responding to a question on the farmers' protest in India.

Canadian PM disregards India warning, saying 'will always stand up for the right of peaceful protests'

Despite India's warning to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his earlier remarks on farmers' protests, the PM has once again commented that he "will always stand up for the right of peaceful protests".

On December 1, India reacted sharply to the "ill-informed" comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on farmers' protests in India and said the remarks are "unwarranted" especially when pertaining to internal affairs of a democratic country. "Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada," the ministry further said.