Farmers Should Defer Protest, Talk To Centre: Tomar

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday appealed to protesting farmers at Delhi borders to postpone their protest against the new farm laws in view of the second coronavirus wave and said that government is ready for a discussion.

Speaking to ANI Tomar said, “I had urged union leaders many times to tell children and older people to go back home, in view of Covid-19. Now the second wave has also begun, farmers and their unions should follow Covid protocol. They should postpone the protest and have discussions with us.”
Many farmers’ unions and economists are supporting the Agricultural Bills but some farmers are protesting against the bills, the minister said.

He said that the government had held 11 rounds of talks with protesting farmer unions and that they were ready for more talks.

“The government has offered to discuss problematic areas and make changes in them but farmer unions didn’t accept it and didn’t give a reason. Agitation continues either when the government isn’t ready to talk or when the union doesn’t get favourable response. Here unions decided to continue it anyway,” Tomar said.

Farmers have been protesting at the different border of Delhi since November last year 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. (ANI)