Farmers' Protest: Farmer unions to decide on Centre's fresh offer for talks today

New Delhi, Dec 22: In a recent development, farmer unions have called for a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the Centre's latest offer to hold talks on the new farm laws. It is also said that farmers are also likely to finalise a reply to Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar's letter sent to 40 unions on Sunday.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are currently staying put at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the 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. They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.

The government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. The government argues that the three farm laws will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

On Monday, thousands of farmers from Maharashtra left for Delhi from Nashik to join the ongoing agitation by cultivators seeking the repeal of three agri laws passed by the Centre.

The farmers, who started off in private vehicles, were led by leaders of the Kisan Sabha. A Kisan Sabha leader told reporters that farmers from 21 districts in Maharashtra are on their way to Delhi.

Addressing the gathering of farmers, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha leaders Ashok Dhawale and Ajit Navale criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) over the agri laws. They alleged that the new farm laws were enacted with the sole purpose of benefiting select corporates at the cost of farmers.