Farmers' Protest: Farmer unions to take a call on Centre's offer for talks today

New Delhi, Dec 23: Protesting farmer unions at Delhi border are likely to hold a meet today to decide on the Centre's fresh offer for talks on the new farm laws. The farmers deferred a decision on the government's offer even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar expressed the hope that "unions will soon resume the dialogue".

Speaking to reporters, farmer leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu said that 32 farmer unions from Punjab held a meeting on Tuesday and discussed the next course of action. The farmer leader said that a meeting of farmer leaders from across India would be held on Wednesday where a decision on the government's talks offer will be taken.

Earlier, Vivek Aggarwal, Joint Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, had sent a letter to 40 union leaders wherein he asked protesting farmer leaders to specify their concerns over its earlier proposal of amendments in the laws and choose a convenient date for the next round of talks.

The sixth round of talks on December 9 was cancelled following a deadlock with the farmer unions refusing to budge from their demand for repealing the three laws.

Meanwhile, a group of protesters showed black flags to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and even tried to block his convoy in Ambala.

In Uttar Pradesh, a group of farmers who were heading to join the protesters clashed with police when they were stopped at Rampur-Moradabad toll plaza.

While a couple of farmer unions have been on a sit-in on the Delhi-Noida border against the farm laws, a group of protesters, mainly residents of Jewar and Dadri in Greater Noida, came out on roads in support of the laws and was stopped by police at Mahamaya Flyover.